Final Words
by xboxbabe
Summary: Brokenhearted and angry, Stephanie leaves Trenton to figure out her life. Meeting new friends and developing new skills along the way, she learns valuable lessons that will change her life for good. Babe HEA. Rough on Morelli at first, but he gets a HEA.
1. FW Ch 1

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes. My characters are for my enjoyment. ;)_

_A/N: This is a crazy idea that popped into my head one day while downloading some songs. I've been writing a different story, but this one wouldn't leave me alone! This is a Babe story, a little rough on Morelli at first, but he eventually gets his own HEA. Will be an eventual Babe HEA. Hope you enjoy it._

* * *

"What do you say, Cupcake? We can hop on a plane tonight, be to Vegas in a few hours, get married on the strip, and be home for dinner on Sunday at your parents … surprise them with the news." Joe's enthusiasm washed over Stephanie like a bucket of ice water.

"What? Are you being serious?"

Joe went still and stared at her for a moment while he worked the question over in his mind. _Was I serious? If I wasn't, why would I say it? I do love her and I want her for myself … why shouldn't we get married?_ "Yes, I mean it. I think we should just go to Vegas and get married, right now. I'll call my cousin Lucy, she's a travel agent. She'll have a flight and room booked for us in no time." He walked over to Stephanie and pulled her into a cuddling embrace. "It will be so good, all this will be over … this back and forth thing we keep doing. We'll be committed."

"C-c-committed?" Her face went pale and her eyes grew wide. Just about the same time she started to hyperventilate, an angry look came across his face.

"Gee, don't get so excited about it." Joe released his hold and took a step back.

She stumbled backwards and sat down in the chair behind her at the kitchen table and drew in several ragged breaths. "You just caught me off guard. Marriage is a big step, just … _huge_."

Joe studied her for a moment and a tick started to throb and dance at the junction of his jaw. When he spoke, his tone was frigid, void of emotion. "Do you ever intend to marry me?"

"What kind of question is that?!"

"I think it's relevant. Answer the question, Stephanie. Do you ever intend to marry me?" He slammed his hands onto his hip and rested his weight on one leg, staring her down.

"Joe…"

"Do you love me?"

"You know I do, but what…"

"Okay. Then, let's give this a try. Either we get married, right now, this weekend … or we're done. Over." His heart began to thump in his chest and he felt the beginnings of his own panic attack when he heard his words. He schooled his features to reflect an entirely different impression of how he felt inside and he prayed she wouldn't call his bluff. Then again, maybe he was praying she _would_ call his bluff.

"What? Now you're saying I have to marry you or we're through? What the _hell_ has gotten into you, Joe?" She stood up and anger radiated through her system. "Why would you even go there? You never wanted to get married before."

"Because, I'm not sure if you really love me. I think that you're using me because _he_ is dragging his feet. I think that you have feelings for _him_ and I'm just a convenience to you." Where was he coming up with this stuff tonight?

He watched as the rage poured over her face, bringing a bright pink blush to her cheeks. She didn't need to ask who Joe meant by 'he' and crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed coldly at him. "How _dare _you ask me that? Ranger has _nothing_ to do with this." She paced a few steps and then stopped, dead cold, and turned to face him, noting his 'yeah, right' look. "No, Joe."

His heart stuttered, and then kept on beating. His breath, on the other hand, hadn't quite returned, so his "No what?" came out a bit on the raspy side.

"No. No to the marriage, no to your continuous ultimatums, and no to you trying to turn me into someone I'm not. I'm not doing it. No, no, no!" She was screaming now and he was certain the neighbors could hear the near-sonic quality of her voice. "I won't change for you, or anyone else for that matter."

Before Joe could respond, she tromped up the stairs. He could hear banging in the bathroom as she threw things around and slammed cupboard doors. _Most likely tossing her stuff into her clothes basket. I should stop her … wait, why should I stop her? She's the one willing to toss away what we could have._ He thought for a moment and decided he wasn't even going to help her pack up as he had in the past. If she was through with him, then he was through with her. Time for Pino's. He grabbed the keys to his Ducati and slammed out of the house, motoring away at top speed for the little pizza joint located at the heart of the Burg. _Definitely time to wash the taste of her out my mouth with a few beers at Pino's._

Stephanie felt numb as she threw her things together. She didn't know if she'd ever planned on marrying Joe, but ending things this way hadn't been her intention. But she wouldn't, no, couldn't allow him to try to bully her out of her choices … out of who she was! Marrying Joe would mean giving up … _Oh God. It is because of Ranger. I won't marry him because I can't accept not having Ranger in my life! I love him too much!_

The realization of how she really felt changed her next move. It was time to tell the man in black himself just how she felt. She was sure he loved her the same way. He'd shown it so many times. The stolen kisses, his worry over her each and every time she'd gone missing, the cars he offered, the jobs he'd given her when she was nearly destitute time and time again. All of these things were signs that he did love her … he'd even told her, even if he'd felt the need to qualify it. _But love is love, right?_

She could think of no logical reason not to take the plunge. She'd already lost Joe and, if she was honest with herself, it was a relief. There wasn't a night when she rested her head on her pillow that her thoughts didn't stray to Ranger. Her life had become so stagnant. Date Joe, break up; have hot, sexy kisses with Ranger, feel guilty about Joe; have hot, sweaty sex with Joe; dream about Ranger; nearly have sex with Ranger, only to feel more guilt about Joe after.

That one night they'd been together so long ago had made her realize that Ranger would never vacate her thoughts or her desires. He liked to go slow and take his time. He liked to kiss and lick. He loved to make a woman scream and laughed with deep pleasure when she was satisfied. And, oh God, the way his body moved and the intensity in his eyes when he drove his length into her. She'd never been able to erase that memory from her head, and she'd never wanted to.

She struggled to lift her packed laundry basket and made her way out to deposit it into her car and then drug her suitcase out and tossed it into the trunk. Her little POS groaned at the weight of her belongings, but it would just have to deal with it. She had a man to hunt down … and lasso in. _Magic lasso, work your stuff, get Ranger to open up._ She sent up a silent prayer while she drove to Rangeman over on Haywood.

She pulled up to the gate at the garage and key fobbed her way in. Her POS died with a loud sputter and a puff of black smoke shot out of the tailpipe, filling the air with poisonous carbon monoxide when she shut the engine off. _Maybe Vinnie will give me my job back and I'll be able to afford a new muffler for this thing._ She sent the rusted metal pipe a grimace, walked over to the elevator, and key fobbed her way up to the seventh floor where Ranger's private apartment was located.

He'd given her the key fob several months ago, before her last disastrous move-in with Joe, and she'd forgotten to return it. Just as well since Ranger could be hard to reach if he wanted to be. When the elevator opened on seven, she decided not to barge in on him and instead, she knocked with a nervous smile on her face. Joe forcing her hand had made her realize how ready she was to have this conversation, but it was still a bit nerve-wracking to be standing here waiting to actually _do_ it.

After a few moments, her face fell and she realized he might not be home. She felt like an idiot and started to turn when the door opened with a silent rush. Ranger stood before her, his body dripping wet and a small towel that barely covered his hips was wrapped around his waist. He gave her that soft, almost-smile and his sensual lips tilted ever so slightly when he asked, "Babe?"

Words left her. Stephanie was sure she'd had a reason for coming here, but she couldn't remember what it was. Something about … something about Ranger. She needed to talk to him. While her thoughts raced, Ranger's smile widened to the super sexy level. A little further and it would be at the lethal level, the full 200 watts.

"Do you want to come in?"

Stephanie nodded and worked _really _hard to keep her eyes off the tiny towel that showed off a good portion of the side of his left buttock and his hipbone. She checked her mouth for drool with a quick flick of her tongue and then followed him inside. Once she was past him and the door closed, he wrapped a warm, strong arm around her waist and drew her back against his chest.

Stephanie closed her eyes, breathing in the smell of Bulgari and Ranger. Ranger closed his eyes breathing in the unique smell of Stephanie and her coconut shampoo. The smell reminded him of home when his _mamá_ made coconut chicken, one of his favorite dishes from his youth.

"What brings you here, Babe?"

_Oh God, why is he asking me to think right now?_ Stephanie opened her mouth, trying to think of the right words to say, when she felt his gentle laughter against her back. She felt his soft lips brush against the side of her neck and closed her eyes, breathing out a sigh and tilting her head to give him better access.

"Not that I mind," he said between kisses, "but I'm sure Morelli wouldn't appreciate you enjoying this so much." Stephanie didn't hear the sexy quality to his humorous tone, only the words he had just spoken.

"Right." She stiffened and stood up, turning around to face him, and receiving his standard raised eyebrow in response. "That's why I'm here."

Since he was naked and had to hold onto his tiny towel, there wasn't much he could do other than give her a slight nod of encouragement.

"Right."

"You said that already, Babe."

Stephanie threw him a look that said 'very funny' and drew in a deep breath. "Okay! Well, Morelli asked me to fly to Vegas with him tonight and get married as soon as we landed."

His expression didn't change and she wasn't really surprised. What did change were his eyes. The humor left them and they took on a hard edge. "Okay…" he said slowly.

"Well, I freaked out." His smirk was back and he gave a light shake to his head. Stephanie continued on. "Not only did he ask me to get married, but he said that if I didn't marry him right now, we were over for good."

A look of understanding came into his eyes now. "Ah … and you told him no?"

"How could I say yes?" She began to pace, her arms crossed over her waist. "I mean … marrying him would mean that I'd have to give up…" She squared her shoulders and looked up at him, making him stand up a little taller, his expression unreadable. She pulled in a deep breath and decided to just do it, like the Nike slogan, so she plunged ahead. "I'd have to give up you. And … I couldn't do that," her heart hammered in her chest when the next words left her mouth, "because I'm in love with you."

Stephanie wasn't sure which reactions she had expected from Ranger, but the look of pain that crossed his features wasn't one of them. "Babe…"

"Look, I know you said you don't do relationships, but I can't do the 'say goodbye forever' thing and not have you in my life at all." She swallowed and continued, "He asked me to choose tonight and to answer him and I knew, beyond a doubt, that my choice would always lie in keeping you in my life. That's when it hit me … that I love you. That I will _always_ love you."

She began to tremble, almost violently, as she watched him and saw his eyes turn to hard black steel before her. "I never asked for your love, Stephanie." Her lungs stopped working at the use of her given name and she pressed a hand to her heart, her open mouth trying to drag in an elusive gulp of air. "I have absolutely nothing to offer you. _Nothing_."

Stephanie stood frozen to the spot with her mouth open and her breath coming in short spurts. After a few moments, she was able to ask, "Nothing?"

He clenched his jaw and stood even straighter. "Nothing."

Stunned, she bit the insides of her cheeks to keep her lips from trembling with the tears that threatened. Stephanie's only goal at that point was to get out of there before she lost all control. She nodded and said a quiet, "Okay, uh ... thanks." She focused her steps in the direction of the door, walked past him, and dropped the key fob in the small silver bowl by the door. Before opening the door, she turned back to him briefly and said with a bravery she didn't quite feel, yet, "Just for the record. I wasn't asking you for anything different than what you were already giving me. I wanted you however you came. Over the years we've known each other, you've given me your love and support, your belief in me, and the shelter of your arms. I was asking for nothing more than that." She turned back around then and opened the door, slipping out quickly, and shutting it quietly behind her. Her feet felt like lead, she struggled to lift them to walk the ten steps it took her to reach the elevator. Her hand felt like it was being held down when she moved to press the call button on the wall. Rational thought left her completely. She hadn't planned for rejection. She honestly hadn't thought he would be so cold, so distant. She'd truly believed he'd felt the same way.

_Now what, Wonder Woman? You've lost both of the men you love in one night … what are you going to do?_ She pressed her lips together to keep the explosive sob building in her chest from bursting out. She'd be damned if she would cry here, in his building, in front of his men. No, Stephanie Plum was through making a fool of herself in front of Ranger and Joe, in front of the cops and the Rangeman crew, in front of the Burg, and Trenton as a whole. It all stopped here. She lifted her head with newfound pride and pulled in a deep breath.

The elevator doors opened with a ding and she pressed the button for the garage, standing straight and tall, staring only at the crack between the two elevator doors. When they split apart and the garage was before her, she walked across the pavement and slipped into her dingy little POS and started the engine. Stephanie backed out of her parking space and then crept to the gate, glad when they opened automatically due to the new sensors that had been installed a few months ago. The guys convinced Ranger it would help them get out faster, so he'd approved the change.

As her car moved through the gates, she felt the familiar sting of tears filling her eyes. "No. Stephanie Plum is not crying over Joe Morelli _or_ Ricardo Manoso anymore. Ever again." She clenched her jaw and set her face, made a quick decision and turned the car toward Atlantic City. She needed a break from Trenton, at least for a little while. There was nothing important enough in her life that she had to stay in Trenton. Rex had passed away two months ago. Her eyes still smarted when she thought of her little friend. All of her clothes were in her trunk and anything of value was in her clothes basket or on her person. Sure, there was a bed and some furniture in her apartment, but it was all worthless junk. She wouldn't miss it. When she came back, if she came back, she could just buy more at the Salvation Army store.

Her only regrets would be Mary Lou, Lula, Connie and Grandma Mazur. She wouldn't spend one minute longer thinking of those damned men. Damn Joe! Damn Ranger, too! Damn them all! Thinking of men, though, reminded her of the ones she did like: Her dad, Tank, Lester, Bobby, and Hal. _Shit! The Merry Men!_ She pulled over off the side of the road and grabbed the flashlight from her glove box. It took her ten minutes, but she finally found and pulled two trackers out from under her car and tossed them into the grate against the curb.

She jumped back into her car and took off and a sense of freedom came into her soul as the ties she'd allowed to be strung around her pulled loose. When she pulled onto I-295 South, she dug her cell phone out of her purse and flung it out her window. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she'd figure it out. AC was a casino town, she'd find a job and start a new life until she was ready to face her old one again.

A weak smile touched her lips when she thought of the messages her mother would leave. She could almost hear them: "Stephanie Michelle Plum, this is your mother. How could you turn down Joseph's marriage proposal? You call him back right now and tell him you accept!"; "Stephanie Michelle Plum, this is your mother. I know you're avoiding me. I'll expect you at dinner tonight at six."; "Stephanie, this is your mother. No one has seen or heard from you for two days, you'd better call me RIGHT NOW, young lady! Do you hear me?"

Stephanie gulped when she realized her mother's messages would become more frantic and she was glad she wouldn't be able to listen to them. True, she could check them from any phone, but if she did, someone might find her. She wanted, no needed, some solitude. _Maybe just a couple of months and then I'll be ready to go back and face everyone again._ She didn't really _want_ to leave home, but she knew if she didn't she'd never have any peace. After tonight, she just wanted that elusive peace and some time to find herself and figure out what she really wanted out of life.

**_********_**

**_A/N: I plan to post updates to my chapters on Wednesdays. This story is about 75% written, so I should be consistent with posting once a week. This story is just my take on Stephanie getting a life away from prying eyes. Thanks for reading. :)_**


	2. FW Ch 2

Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes.

_A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews! I could hardly wait until today to get the second chapter out. I also want to thank my beta, M, for putting in some serious time last night to help me make sure this baby was still ready for your eyes!_

* * *

Ranger stared at the door after Stephanie's departure, his stomach in knots. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, but it had been unavoidable. The government had called tonight to send him on another six to twelve month mission. That meant he could be gone longer than a year. Confess his love and then make her wait? He couldn't do that to her.

_But did you have to break her heart?_ He ran his hand through his damp hair and swore under his breath as he strode to his bedroom. He didn't have time to think about it. The chopper would be there in fifteen minutes to pick him up and he still had to pack his bag and wrap up a couple of business matters with Tank. _Why did she have to come here tonight of all nights and say that to me?_

He tugged on his cargoes and then his t-shirt before he sat on the bed to put on his socks. When another knock sounded on his front door he froze and his heart thumped against his rib cage. It wasn't her knock, yet deep down inside he wanted it to be her, if for no other reason than to hear those three words pass over her lips one more time. But it was a selfish and irrational stood straight and closed his eyes for a moment_. She loves me. Me! Why?_ He was certain she wouldn't come back, but he'd also been certain he'd never hear those three words from her and that she would marry Morelli.

He muttered multiple curses in English _and_ Spanish on his way to door, flung it open, and hoped she hadn't returned. He wouldn't be able to send her away a second time. The person who stood on the other side of the door was someone Ranger did not want to see until he was ready. He turned his back on the large hulk of a man that filled the doorway. Tank's posture was stiff and anger rolled off his shoulders in continuous waves.

"If you want to yell at me, you'd better do it fast. Chopper on the roof in twelve minutes." He walked back to his bedroom and sat on his bed to pull on his socks.

Tank appeared in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. "What'd you say to the Bombshell, man?"

"Nothing. I told her nothing." It was the truth and he didn't feel the need to explain himself.

Tank gave him a skeptical look and Ranger hoped he would drop it, but knew better. "You told her nothing … Oh shit! Are you out of your fucking mind?" Ranger's eyes snapped up into Tank's enraged ones and he bit back an expletive. Leave it to Tank to take his cryptic sentence and figure out the picture in less than twenty seconds.

"That woman came up here to tell you how she feels and you shoved it back into her face, didn't you? What is wrong with you, Ranger?" Tank's fists balled at his sides and Ranger narrowed his eyes at his friend and fought to control the overload of adrenaline that coursed through his body. Now was not the time to have a pissing match with his friend because he was sure it wouldn't end well.

"Tank, I'll have to fix it when I get back … if I get back. How could I end it any other way? Tell her that I love her and then make her wait for God knows how long for me to return?" Ranger shook his head and tugged on his combat boots, and then he tied the laces tight around the cuffs of his cargoes. Tank walked over and packed the rest of his gear into his duffel for him, and Ranger sent him a nod of thanks when he went to grab his jacket, guns, knives, and Kevlar vest from the closet.

When Ranger was ready to go, with five minutes to spare, Tank crossed his arms again and stared into his friend's eyes. "That's about the dumbest thing I've known you to do. You hurt that sweet, sweet woman. I don't even have to tell you what she looked like when she walked out of here, do I? You know she would have waited for you."

A dull ache of remorse gathered in Ranger's chest and he shook his head. "No, you don't have to tell me. And I know she would have, but you know what it's like to go on a mission and leave someone you love behind. You start to feel guilty for how long you're gone, for the actions you have to take … I don't have time to do this right now, Tank. I've got to go."

Ranger took a step forward and stopped cold when a fist slammed into his jaw. He flew backward onto the floor and stared up at his friend in shock. "That's for Stephanie. She's not going to be the same after tonight. It took courage for her to come up here, courage I never thought she'd have. What have you done?"

Tank left the apartment and the door banged closed behind him and rattled the wall. Ranger sat up and rubbed his jaw. He didn't have time to think about tonight's events or how he would make Tank pay for the cheap shot. He grabbed his duffel and hustled his ass out of the apartment and up the stairs to the roof. No sooner had he blasted through the door than a chopper approached and landed on the small helipad they kept for just this purpose.

He crouched over, ran under the whirling blades, slipped into the seat next to the pilot, who gave him a slight nod, and then felt the chopper lift off before he got his safety harness buckled. As he watched Trenton disappear in the night behind him, his final words to Stephanie tormented his thoughts. _I promised you nothing. Nothing. Great job, asshole. Great job._ He could only hope that one day he would have the chance to repair the trust he'd broken, but he couldn't focus on it now. First, he had to make it back to Trenton alive.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Tank crashed his way into his office and dropped into his desk chair. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this angry. Of all the no-good, lying, gutless things Ranger could have done, this one took the cake. The man was a real piece of work and he had thrown away the only spot of good he had allowed into his life. _The man is clinically insane, that has to be the reason!_

A knock sounded on his door and he called out a gruff, "Enter."

Lester poked his head in. "Hey, just thought you should know that Stephanie went off-line about five minutes ago."

Tank glared at Lester. "From the lack of activity, I guess we assume it was on purpose?"

Lester nodded. "When the woman wants to hide…"

Tank rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, I know. This time she has a right to her privacy. Let's give her some space. Call Connie in the morning and ask who Steph's skips are so we can keep an eye on her from a distance?"

"What happened?" Lester had a genuine look of concern on his face, which didn't surprise Tank. Stephanie and Lester had partnered up a few times and they got along famously. Lester had a soft spot for curly haired brunettes since his cousin, Anita, had had the same hair type. Anita and Lester had been close throughout their formative years and into their high school days. No one knew she suffered from a congenital heart defect, and her sudden death at 21 devastated the family. Most of all, Lester. The man didn't talk about her with anyone, but Tank knew that every year on her birthday and on the day she died, he visited her grave.

Tank laid the scene out for Lester and waited until the man's curses died down before he continued. "I tell you, man. He's off his rocker! Why would he go and do something so stupid? He feels the same way. We know it. Hell, I think she even knows it."

"I don't know, but I'm pissed that you got your hands on him first." Lester began to pace. "We can't leave her alone tonight. What if she needs someone?"

"I think it's best to give her time."

"I disagree." Lester shot Tank a look of stubborn defiance and the big man sighed.

"Fine. Keep an eye on her apartment and, if you see any sign that she needs a friend, be my guest. Personally, I think she just needs time to cry and do whatever it is that women do when they've had their hearts ripped out and stomped on by the man they love." Tank sat with his hands up as if to say, 'it's your funeral' to Lester.

"Fine, that's what I'll do."

"You're still on shift at 0600 tomorrow morning."

"I'll be here," Lester shot over his shoulder as he walked out of the office.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Lester's mind reeled. He had some idea of how upset Steph would be and he didn't like that she could be alone. He smashed his fist into the nearest wall and clenched his teeth at the pain that shot up his arm when his flesh and bone met the solid metal.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Stephanie's number, but it went straight to voicemail. No surprise there. She always went incommunicado when hurt or angry, tonight would be no exception.

When the elevator doors opened in the garage, he had a plan in place. He slid into his personal car, a black Mercedes SL600, and tore out of the garage on his way to Pino's. He'd stop and pick up her favorite pizza and check out her apartment. He bet that if she'd come to Rangeman to confess her everlasting love for The Bastard, she wouldn't go back to Morelli's tonight.

That thought gave him pause. _Why would she leave Morelli's house and come over to tell Carlos that out of the blue?_ Hmm, he'd have to think about that when he had a chance to sit down. He saw Morelli's Duc parked in front of Pino's when he pulled up. Perhaps he could find out if Morelli knew what was going on; covertly, of course.

The moment he walked into Pino's, two things became clear. First, the place was dead and only four people occupied the place: Morelli and three women, all four seated at the same table. The second was that all three women were working their way into one huge Morelli orgy. Lester knew the game; hell, he'd played it himself. Morelli was sizing the women up, to make his choice about which of them would go home with him. The way it looked, Lester figured all three would join in on the fun. As soon as Morelli's eye caught Lester's, he flipped him the bird and went back to the make out session with the blonde to his right.

Morelli's public 'Don Juan' display stirred Lester's curiosity and tempered his anger. He started to add up the night's events in his head. Morelli, in Pino's, with three women at once; Steph, at Rangeman, confessing her love to Ranger. Felt like a major break up, one Lester hoped had been reciprocal and not just another painful experience shoved into Steph's life.

Lester picked up the pizza he'd ordered on the way in, made his way to Steph's apartment, and carried the large box up the flight of stairs to her door on the second floor. There hadn't been any lights on in her apartment, but Lester knew that didn't mean much. He rapped on the door with his knuckles and got no response, so he did a quick glance around and then picked the useless lock.

He knew the moment he walked in that Steph hadn't come back to her old apartment tonight. The place was cold, the thermostat set low. There was an untouched layer of dust on her coffee table and her bed was bare. Her answering machine and phone sat on the side table with the wires loose on the dusty surface. He frowned when he noticed that Rex's cage still sat on its little stand, empty. The apartment was just as she'd left it when she had moved in with Morelli.

He pulled out his phone and hit speed dial two for Tank's cell and waited just long enough for Tank to answer with his standard 'Talk' before he spoke. "She never came back to her apartment. It's exactly as it was when she moved out."

There was a short pause and then a sigh. "Just leave her alone. She's most likely at a friend's, maybe Mary Lou or Lula. She could be at her parents' house. Hell, after what Ranger did, she could be back at Morelli's."

"No way, man. I saw Morelli in Pino's and from the looks of the blonde, the redhead, and the brunette, his scorecard was full for the night. There's no way Steph would go to his house, especially if she broke it off with him, and you know how her mom treats her. Can you call Lula and ask if she's heard from Steph?" He felt the heaviness of Tank's silence.

"I'll call Lula, but then you owe me free lunch for a week. That woman scares the hell out of me." Lester chuckled as Tank hung up and returned to his car. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards Mary Lou's house. _That man is so toast and he doesn't even know it._ He didn't know how, but Lula would get her hands on Tank again and the world as everyone knew it would end.

The suspicion that no one knew Stephanie's whereabouts started to work through Lester's mind and that thought worried the hell out of him. She was spontaneous, irrational, and a little bit crazy at times, but she'd always been predictable … until tonight. It shocked him that she would come out and tell Carlos how she felt about him. Lester was angry and ready to pound some flesh at the cold response his cousin had given her.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Stephanie eased her car off onto the shoulder of the road as far from the white line as possible. "No! You stupid piece of crap!" She thumped her hand on the steering wheel and leaned her head down to rest it against the cold plastic. She'd ignored the steady red LED picture of a battery for the past fifty miles. The entire time she'd had this car, it had run just fine. Sure, it made funny noises when it started and when she switched it off, but it had been reliable, even if she'd had to replace three batteries. "Way to go. You must be a man … and the third one that's run out on me tonight, at that!"

"Damn it!" She shouted and hit the steering wheel again. A pair of headlights shone a brilliant light that reflected in her rearview mirror as a large truck approached from behind. _What do you know? There are Good Samaritans in Jersey after ten o'clock._

She started to reevaluate the Good Samaritan thought as she watched two men get out and walk toward her car. When a pair of knuckles rapped on her window, she was a mass of tightly coiled nerves. She tamped down her panic and cracked her window open to look at the masculine, bearded face half in shadow and half in light from the glare of the headlights.

"Hey, we saw you go off the road, you need some help?" The voice sounded kind enough, even if the appearance was scary.

Wary, Stephanie nodded. "Yeah, the battery just died on me. It's the third new one I've had to get in three months."

The man's eyes twinkled and he directed, "Pop open your hood, we'll have a look." Stephanie bent to pop the hood and the man's friend, who had left without her notice, walked past the passenger window from their truck with a flashlight. The first man left her window and joined his friend and both looked under the hood for all of thirty seconds. One of them dropped the hood down with a loud bang and both walked over to her window. Shock filled her at the two identical bearded faces that appeared together back in her window. "Alternator belt's busted. You won't get this car anywhere tonight. Do you need a ride somewhere?" The one who spoke glimpsed her possessions in the backseat. "We have room for your stuff."

Stephanie gave a nervous flick of her eyes from one man to the other and saw kindness and sincerity in theirs. Given her luck with men on this particular day, she wasn't sure that she could trust two more, let alone strangers, but she didn't have much choice. At this point, they hadn't murdered her and left her body in the Barrens, so she felt confident that she might make it to Atlantic City in one piece.

"Okay." She took a deep gulp of air and then smiled at them. "Thanks, I could use a ride to Atlantic City."

The men looked at each other and then grinned. Stephanie began to think she'd made a terrible mistake when one of them, either the first or the second guy, she had no clue now, turned to her with an amused look. "Then you're in luck. We live there and we're headed back tonight."

She smiled, grabbed her handbag, and opened the door after they stepped back. "I'm…" She hesitated and thought it better not to give them her real name until she knew them better, so decided to improvise. "Michelle. Michelle Cherry." After all, Michelle _was_ her middle name and Cherry was close to Plum. They both have pits, which was where her life was at the moment.

"Good to meet you, Michelle. I'm Thaddeus Mercer, you can call me Thad or Merc, up to you." He held out his hand and shook hers. "This is my twin brother, Geoffrey, everyone calls him Geo."

Stephanie shook Geo's hand, made suitable pleasantries that would make her mother proud, and then leaned back into her car to grab her clothes basket. Geo tapped her on the shoulder and motioned for her to move aside, then reached in to grab it for her. "It's chilly. Go ahead and climb in the truck. We'll get your stuff."

Relieved that she didn't have to haul the heavy stuff once more, she started to walk to their truck and then stopped. "Um…" Both men turned to look at her with curious expressions. She'd had a spontaneous idea. A crazy, stupid, bad, bad idea … and she loved it. "Would you both care if we just pushed my car off the road here and let it go find a bush to hide behind?"

"You're not a criminal, are you?" Geo asked, eyeing her warily.

Stephanie grinned at their identical skeptical looks and said, "No. But I do have people who will look for me and I don't want them to find me right now."

"You're not in the mob, are you?" It was Merc's turn to look concerned.

"No. I'm not. I'm sorry, but I need to get away from Trenton and if your offer to take me still stands, I'd like to go as soon as possible." The men saw the look of vulnerability in her eyes and wondered who had caused such deep wounds that she would run off in such an unsafe car.

"No worries, Sweetie. We'll get you to AC, just hop in."

"My car?"

"Done."

Stephanie smiled as she pulled herself into the backseat of the large Silverado extended cab and watched the two strong men shove her car down the embankment. She took in the scenery around her and noticed the bright red color of the truck and she was never so glad to _not_ be in a black vehicle.


	3. FW Ch 3

Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes.

A/N: Thanks for the support from all of my readers and those who left reviews. Again, thanks to M for helping to chase away my posting nightmares by taking second, third, fourth, and sometimes fifth, looks at my chapters! Thanks to Alf for tweaking my brain and thanks to May for her much needed edits. :)

* * *

Joe stumbled up the steps to his porch and cursed when he failed to get his key into the lock of the front door. He gave his head a shake and stared at the keyhole. When he finally got the front door open, he moved on feet unsteady from the beer and wild gorilla sex with not one, not two, but three women. He hadn't thought he would make it out intact last night, or rather this morning, when he told them he had to leave.

Joe rubbed his aching temples and looked at the clock. It was four AM. With his luck, the two all-seeing biddies on his street observed his stellar arrival and, by now, everyone in the Burg knew what time he'd crawled home and in exactly what condition. Not only did the Ducati's engine whir like a sonic hummingbird, but also his thumb had slipped and hit the horn when he braked in the driveway. The grand finale had come when the bike fell over after he dismounted. In no condition to hoist it back up, he had kicked the tire and injured his foot. The nosy women had most likely reported Stephanie's departure last night to the top echelon of the Burg; in this case, his mother and Ellen Plum. Now, the best he could hope for was that last night's romp stayed under wraps until he could run damage control with Stephanie's parents.

He figured Stephanie had moved her stuff out posthaste; she never hesitated to leave after they'd had a fight. A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed hard to dislodge it. The memory of the look on her face when he'd made his final statement caused an ache deep in his chest. He didn't want her to leave, hadn't meant to push her, but he couldn't live with the doubt anymore.

He should be grateful for this fight. They needed a good test, something to prove they stood a chance and could survive a relationship crisis. Maybe she could compromise and try to accept some of the Burg lifestyle and he could even try to accept her job.

Who was he kidding? He'd told her they were done if she didn't marry him. He might be able to convince her to take him back, but she would never trust him again. He could forget marriage to her anytime soon and, to be quite frank, she could forget his trust when she had to work with Ranger.

Joe weaved his way across the foyer to the kitchen. He grabbed a couple of ice cubes from the half-full tray in the freezer and held them to his temples. There was no way she would ever speak to him again. Especially when she found out about last night's little indiscretion. He knew she would. He had seen that prick Lester Santos walk into Pino's, had even flipped him off. Joe knew that he was Stephanie's occasional partner at Rangeman and had disregarded that the man witnessed his brazen pursuits. _Much easier to be brave like that when you've got a buzz to give you courage, Morelli_.

He leaned over the sink to catch the drops of water that fell from the cubes as they melted. As he stared at the drain, he conceded that he couldn't ever accept her life as a bounty hunter. He had constant heartburn stemming from his worry over her safety. Every time she went out to catch a skip, every time she picked up a new stalker … every time she was with Ranger.

Joe dropped the small slivers of ice into the sink and dried his hands. Manoso. In truth, the man was the biggest threat to Joe's sanity. He saw how the bounty hunter looked at her, how he touched her. He'd even seen them kiss outside her apartment building once, and that had happened during one of their 'on' phases. Joe was no fool. He knew women drooled over Manoso's body; he'd heard enough comments about it from some women at work. Even the guys made comments about how Stephanie found Manoso irresistible. He should have confronted her about it at the time, but he had faithfully believed it was he, Joseph Anthony Morelli, who held her heart no matter how attracted she was to the other man. It hadn't occurred to him that he might be wrong until he'd forced her hand. He'd known she wouldn't marry him and now he'd pushed her over to the competition.

Joe stumbled up the stairs to the bathroom and turned on the shower. He had to wash the stench of those women off his body. He wanted to get into bed and savor the smell of Stephanie's scent on his sheets; to remember her when he finally managed to fall asleep. His final words to her haunted him when he stepped under the hot pellets of water. Sleep would be problematic; what sleep he might get would be restless and interrupted by dreams of her.

Later today he'd have to go face Stephanie's parents. Joe didn't know why it mattered, but he wanted to assure them he hadn't cheated on her. He knew his outward reason for turning to them was a slight fib, but it was the best shot he had at getting Ellen Plum on his side. When it came to Stephanie, her mother knew exactly which buttons to push and when, a fact that made her an invaluable ally. If he was careful how he worded his case, Ellen would be on the phone to Stephanie relaying all the reasons she should take him back. A dirty trick, he knew, but it was necessary to have someone help break through the wall she would no doubt build between them since their conversation last night.

Joe wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower. He felt washed, but not cleansed. In his bedroom, the sight of the rumpled bed changed his mind about sleep. His dirty clothes basket caught his eye and he walked over to pick out, and put on, the clothes he'd worn the previous afternoon. He and Stephanie had watched a movie together wrapped up in each others' arms several hours before the fight, before the beer … before the women. The clothes were now neither clean nor dirty, but they still carried her scent and he wanted to feel close to her. She wouldn't be at her parents' house and he wanted to start chipping away at her emotional wall before it became too thick. He needed to apologize, even grovel, but he wouldn't sit by and watch her run to Manoso.

Bob whined when Joe's feet hit the bottom landing of the stairs. He winced in pain when he turned toward the back door, and then sighed. Kicking the bike hadn't helped his morning. Joe opened the back door and Bob bounded outside to do his business. He looked at the clock and saw that it was quarter to five. The shower had eaten up some of his time, but he wanted to wait a little longer to leave or tongues would wag faster at his hasty departure from his house. Breakfast sounded good, he had used his energy reserves last night.

He pulled the makings of an omelet from the fridge and turned on the stove to heat up while he started the coffee maker. When Bob whined at the back door, he opened it and said, "Good boy." Bob settled on the rug at the foot of the stairs to watch and drool. Joe shook his head as he buttered the toast that popped out of the toaster. With a steady hand, he slid the omelet onto a slice of toast and covered it with the other.

An omelet sandwich and two cups of coffee later, it was five thirty-six. Bob's food dish was full and he had fresh water; Joe was fed and full of caffeine, coffee cup in the sink. "Protect and serve, big guy," he said after he locked the back door and pulled on his jacket. He tripped down the front porch steps and crossed the front lawn to his driveway. With a grunt, he heaved the heavy bike upright and climbed on, speeding off into the early spring morning.

The lot of her building was quiet and the air crisp and cold. Frost had crept up the windows of the cars, slow and steady throughout the night, and glowed with a mystic bluish white light reflected from the street lamps above. Joe parked his bike near the lobby door in a half spot open between a large van and a little Sentra parked too far apart in their spaces.

He went in the back door and took the stairs. The elevator was a joke. If it wasn't breaking down, it still moved slower than Joe could take the stairs four times over. The antiquated and unpredictable apparatus groaned and whined with every movement. Joe always felt nervous on it because a sudden drop didn't seem too far-fetched. When he reached Stephanie's door, he jimmied it open the way he had done a thousand times. If he knocked, she could turn him away. If he went inside, he could convince her to hear him out. Disappointment flooded through his mind when he walked into the apartment. He could tell by the emptiness that she hadn't returned. He saw a Pino's box on the coffee table and walked over to examine it. A cold pepperoni, green peppers, and extra cheese pizza sat inside, untouched. Stephanie's favorite. She hadn't come home, but she'd had a visitor who knew her well.

He gave the apartment a quick search and noted that none of her possessions from his house were there. So, she'd never come home. The pizza wasn't a mystery when he remembered Santos' presence in Pino's earlier. Easy to see that he'd brought a pizza to console her and hadn't found her at home, either. Santos wasn't a bad guy; still, Joe couldn't help but feel satisfaction that he had failed to find Stephanie, as well. The principle that Santos was Manoso's man warranted Joe's contempt. If Joe had to fail, at least Manoso did, too. Unless … unless Manoso had intercepted her trip home and took her back to the little love nest he kept in his security building.

Joe scrubbed his face with both hands. Manoso taking his place was an unacceptable possibility. He'd gone more than a little crazy, and perhaps a touch suicidal, because his irrational mind concluded the best way to handle the snafu was to go interrupt them. He didn't want 'I'm just a convenience to you' to be the last comment in her memory when she thought of him, but wanted her to know that he loved her, genuinely loved her. If she'd already heard about the women, he'd explain his anger and depression over their split. He wasn't ready to lose her. He wanted to fight to keep her, keep them, at least the best part of who they'd been.

_Shit!_ _She's not going to listen to me_. Joe stood in the hallway outside her door and waited a beat, lost in thought. It was probably best to go home and sleep so he could act like a rational person, but his Italian temper couldn't quite grasp the concept of 'reasonable' behavior. He trotted down the stairs and climbed onto the Duc. _Why did I go and open my big mouth?_

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Tank paced over the stripes of early morning sunlight that leaked through the blinds onto the carpet in his office, his mind full of his conversation with Lula and worry over Stephanie. Those two women would be the death of him, or at the minimum, the death of his sanity. Lula had gone postal over the phone when he told her about Stephanie and Ranger's conversation; well, that, and the news that they couldn't find Stephanie. She demanded that he go and find 'White Girl' and bring her to Lula's where she could ply her friend with alcohol and greasy food until they came up with a plan to castrate 'Batman' in his sleep.

He winced and hoped that Lula's statement had been a joke, but suspected that she was dead serious. Lester's report that Stephanie hadn't gone back to her apartment had raised his unease to unsurpassed levels. He'd felt his anger rear its head when Lester relayed the story about Morelli in Pino's. _What a prick__!_ Tank had said to leave Stephanie alone, but he wondered if he was wrong. He'd wanted to give Stephanie space and respect her privacy for once, especially after Ranger's stupidity. Now he was glad Santos hadn't listened to him.

Morelli was no idiot, nor was he overtly cruel where Stephanie was concerned. Morelli out in public, especially in the Burg, flaunting his behavior with three women meant something monumental had happened between the two of them. Even when he and Stephanie were 'off', Morelli hadn't openly chased after _any_ woman, let alone three at once. Tank had been wrong last night, it was more important to find Stephanie then he'd first considered, if for no other reason than to determine her well-being.

Tank added a conversation with Stephanie on his mental list as item number two. First was to find Morelli and shake him down. He had some explaining to do and Tank intended to solve last night's puzzles. Better to know what state of mind to expect from Stephanie when they caught up to her. Ben & Jerry's got tacked onto his list as item number three.

He withdrew his cell from its holster on his hip with the intent to call Lester, but the phone on his desk buzzed. He punched the intercom button and Hal's voice sounded from the speaker. "Morelli's here and he's demanding to see the Boss … and Miss Plum."

"Ranger is off-line," Tank said and punched the button once again to shut down the call. He left his office and ignored the second buzz he had expected. Morelli wouldn't back down, not if his visit concerned the Bombshell. When he reached the control room, he saw Hal press speed dial two on his keypad. "No need, I'm here. Where's Morelli?"

"The lobby. I sent Binkie down to try to calm him. Morelli is so pissed he wants to shove his size twelves up someone's ass. He already made dents in the front door with them. We've never seen him so far out of control. Binkie said he can't understand a word out of Morelli's mouth." Hal gestured to the monitor centered on the lobby and sent Tank a quizzical look, but Tank ignored it.

Tank said, "Keep an eye on him," and turned around to leave. He took the stairs to give himself time to cool off before he reached Morelli. Tank had no clue how he would answer Morelli's questions, but he knew what answers he would demand. "Morelli," he greeted the other man with stiff lips when he pushed through the stairwell door into the lobby.

"You tell Manoso I want Stephanie down here. Now!" Morelli shouted and shoved his finger in Tank's face.

Tank noticed Morelli's bloodshot eyes and the suppressed rage that trembled in his voice. Interesting that Morelli was so livid he would forget his training. Clearly, the crisis had reached FUBAR level in no time. "Ranger isn't here and neither is Stephanie."

"He took her somewhere?" Morelli's eyes almost bugged out of his head.

"Sounds like you don't need to worry about where Stephanie is or who took her. Word is you have plenty of company now … or at least had it." Tank crossed his arms and leveled Morelli with a glare. "What's going on between you two, anyway?"

The cop had the decency to look away. "None of your damn business! I need to talk to her. She's not at her apartment and she won't answer her phone."

Tank narrowed his eyes at Morelli and stared him down. "I think if you want any answers from me, you'd better answer my question."

"I want to see her, first."

The large man shook his head and blew his breath out through his nose. "Ranger is out of town, Stephanie's not with him, and she's not here. Try somewhere else." Tank turned around to leave and Morelli called out his name. Tank stopped and cocked his head at a slight angle to suggest he would listen, but refused to turn around. He wanted Morelli to understand that he didn't take orders from him and he still wanted the answer to his question.

"Will you call me if she contacts you?"

"No. Go home, Morelli." Tank left the room on that word and stepped into elevator, his hand automatically reached for the number five button.

Morelli's enraged voice shouted from behind, "Hey!"

The doors closed and shut Morelli out. Tank pressed his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. He sensed a massive migraine forming and didn't think he'd find relief anytime soon. _Damn Ranger_.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Stephanie bit into the succulent piece of lobster tail drenched in butter and released a sigh of appreciation. "Wow! This is so great! I love how you can get great-tasting seafood like this so cheap at these roadside diners on the coast. I can't thank you both enough for taking me out to dinner. You didn't have to do this." She raised her iridescent gaze to her two heroes of the evening.

"Sweetcakes, with eyes like yours, I would have taken you out to a nicer place than this, but we just couldn't wait any longer to eat. From the way you tore into that lobster, neither could you," Merc said with a wide grin which faded when he noticed Stephanie's scrunched up nose and curled lip. Merc blinked his eyes at her, his brow creased in question. "What did I say to upset you?"

She bit her bottom lip and deliberated for a moment. "Tell you what, we'll be fine if you don't call me any names with the word 'cake' in it. All right?"

"Cake?" His expression displayed his confusion. "What's wrong with cake?"

She released the breath that had caught in her throat. "Trust me, it's a long story about someone I used to date; someone who is a great person, just not the right one for me."

Geo and Merc nodded at her. The unison movements of two honey blonde, spiky-haired men with full, dark brown facial beards and two sets of light brown eyes almost made Stephanie dizzy, as if she had double vision. Yikes. "All right. No using nicknames with the word 'cake' in them. Any others?"Geo asked.

Stephanie looked uncomfortable for a moment before she spoke. "Babe. Do not call me any version of babe."

"Duly noted." Merc looked at Geo, who nodded his agreement.

She sent them a serious look and said, "Before you ask, I don't want to talk about it." When her eyes changed from the navy blue they had become from enjoying her food to the hard blue-gray of determination, both sensed that further discussion on this subject was prohibited.

"No problem. Hey, I have it! How about if we just call you Michelle Belle and Belle for short?" Merc looked pleased with his own ingenuity.

Stephanie beamed. A whole new identity and a new nickname, this she could live with. "Perfect!"

Geo grinned at her while she put her fingers into her mouth to suck off the butter. "You're not afraid to love food, are you? Most women want to act like they never eat."

Stephanie finished off the butter on her thumb, pulled the digit out with a pop, and then cleaned the greasy liquid from her lips with a swipe of her tongue. "Well, not me. I love food and no one had better get in my way when I'm hungry." A slight color blossomed on her cheeks, "I have a somewhat, uh, vocal stomach."

"This I have to hear," Merc said. Both men grinned in amusement and, for a brief moment, Stephanie wondered if everyone she met would think she was a joke. It was like she was… _Oh shit! I'm a young version of Grandma Mazur. No one takes me seriously and everyone thinks I'm crazy!_

Merc's hand covered hers the moment the thought left her mind. "Don't look so worried. We think you're cool, refreshing."

"Very cool," Geo agreed, "very refreshing."

"I am?" They nodded in unison again and Stephanie sent them a shy smile. "Thanks."

Their server came with the check and Geo handed her a small stack of bills. "Look, I don't know what Mr. Cake did to you … or the 'one who must remain nameless', but don't worry about what we think. If there's something we don't like or understand, we'll ask. We're all adults here, right?"

Merc nodded and Stephanie followed suit in mild shock. Adults, grown-ups. Well, why not? They were two distinctions she had avoided because both meant responsibility, but she realized she was ready to grow up. "Sure, great."

"So, where do we drop you off?" Geo asked.

"Well…" Frustration set in. She had left the decision-making part of her flight to freedom for when she actually got to Atlantic City. The diner sat just outside the city limits and she had no clue what she wanted to do or where she wanted to go. The small flutter of panic she had first sensed in her chest when she left Trenton had now grown to full-fledged worry. She had her credit card, but Ranger could easily trace it. She would get a hotel tonight with the cash she carried and worry about the rest tomorrow.

"You don't have a place to stay, do you? What did you plan to do, just drive into town and play it by ear?" Merc's face was serious while he questioned her.

If the deep red color of her cheeks hadn't given her away, the guilty look in her eyes would have. "I just needed to get out of town. I knew I'd get here late, so a hotel room was my first," and only, "step. I figured that plans could wait until breakfast or lunch, at the latest." She felt defensive and set her jaw in defiance against Merc's inquiry.

The two brothers' eyes met in silent communication. _Great! Just what I need, more people around who converse without speaking_. They looked back at her and then Geo said, "I know you just met us, but we can't let you loose in this town on your own. We'll worry."

"You guys don't have to do that, I've survived on my own up till now." Sure you have, Steph. With trackers and panic buttons attached to your person twenty-four, seven.

"Come with us. We know a ton of people. Hey, we might even be about to help you find a job," Merc mused while he stood and pulled on his jacket. "At least give us a chance to help you."

"Fine, but I buy breakfast in the morning." Stephanie stood and grabbed her coat, then stuck out her hand to Merc, the obvious ringleader of the duo.

"Deal!" Merc shook her hand first, and then Geo. Life promised to be more interesting with these two around!


	4. FW Ch 4

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes._

_A/N: I don't speak Spanish, I only know a few words. To make life easier for everyone, and to save any embarrassment, I will denote the sections spoken in Spanish with italics within the quotes. As always, thanks to M, May and Alf for their helpful comments and for adjusting my thoughts._

* * *

Lester was bone weary. It was nearly five thirty in the morning and he'd spent the night on an intense search for Stephanie, which included most of Trenton and her favorite haunts in Point Pleasant. He'd come up with nada. To make matters worse, he'd promised Tank he would be on time for his shift.

Before he returned to Rangeman, he'd gone to the police department and had a covert conversation with Eddie Gazzara. As soon as he saw Lester, Eddie pulled him outside and said, "Morelli came in a little while ago angry as a bull. Had nothing good to say about your boss." Lester furnished a crooked smile at the comment. "He's out with Robin Russell searching all over town for Stephanie. No one's seen her car and we've issued a BOLO for it. Personally, I think she's left town. Maybe went somewhere to clear her head." Eddie ran a hand through his hair. "You know what's going on?"

Lester gave a slight shake of his head. "Not entirely. We know something happened with Morelli, and also Ranger, but nothing definite."

"Something happened with Ranger?"

"It's not important right now." Lester said impatiently. "I think you're right about her leaving town. I've looked in all her usual places, both here and in Point Pleasant, and no sign of her. Short of a full-scale search by Rangeman, there's nothing else I can do. Thanks, man." They shook hands and Lester walked back to his car.

"Keep me posted if you find anything useful, will ya?" Eddie called out when Lester opened the door of his car.

"Sure thing, same to you." Lester ducked inside his car, and settled behind the wheel.

On the drive to the office, he'd called Connie to check and see what files Stephanie had open. Connie's response chilled him. "None. She turned in her last body receipt two days ago and said she needed some rest for a couple of days. Vinnie was pissed, but like his usual wimpy self, he didn't argue once she'd put her foot down."

"Thanks." Lester snapped his phone closed to end the call. He was stumped and fresh out of ideas, wondering what he should do next. When his phone rang, he glanced at the display and saw it was Hector. He flipped open his phone, answering in Spanish, "_Hector, what's happening?_"

"_Hey, I thought about this earlier. Estefanía had that old tracker in her car last week that stopped working. Carlos had me put in two new ones._" Lester's ears perked up while Hector spoke and nodded out of habit before he realized his actions. Lack of sleep was most likely to blame.

He gave his head a quick shake and said, "_Okay, what about them? She took the trackers off her car._"

"_But you only found two. I didn't take the old one off. It was the one she always missed in the past when she pulled them off. I think I can get a signal if I work at it._" Hector sounded excited. Then again, Hector was an excitable guy.

"_Okay, I'm on my way to the office now. You can update me when I get there._" Lester hoped Hector could get a signal from the faulty tracker Stephanie had missed. Right now, it was their only lead.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Tank tossed his cell phone onto his cluttered desktop. At the moment, he wanted to forget the useless communication device existed. No matter how many calls he made, he still hadn't made any progress. His one consolation in the empty search was that Ranger wasn't around. Life would be intense with him barking orders, kicking and punching anything in his way, and causing general mayhem.

Tank still believed Stephanie just needed time, but the small worry that something was wrong with the picture wouldn't rest. She'd been way too calm when she left Ranger's apartment. Stephanie Plum was anything but calm. Determined, yes; calm, no. In the past when she was upset, she would either try to hide her tears, or she would be mad as a hornet and make everyone pay for it.

The massive man sat down in his desk chair and leaned his head back against the headrest. His cell chirped and he stared at it a second before he picked it up with a huge sigh. He was tired of pointless talk. He took a second look at the readout and groaned. Ranger. The man always had a sixth sense about Stephanie and his current mission didn't detract from his intuition.

"Yo," he answered with an attempt at a normal tone of voice. "Kinda early to call, isn't it?"

"Did anyone check on her after she left?"

How to answer? If he told Ranger they'd lost her, it would mess him up and Tank, while he _was_ pissed at Ranger, didn't want to see him get hurt or killed because his head was occupied with Stephanie. "Lester went over to her apartment."

"How is she?"

"This is pretty messed up, man. First, you leave her broken and now you call to ask about her mental state. How do you think she is?" He refused to lie to Ranger, so redirection became his strategy. Ranger wouldn't see it that way when he got home, but at least he wouldn't know Stephanie's current status.

A heavy silence followed his question and Tank began to think Ranger wouldn't answer. After a few beats, Tank heard Ranger's quiet response, "I fucked it up."

"Yep." He didn't offer his friend any comfort. The man had been a total bastard. He'd been cruel and heartless, hurting the woman he loved and doing it on purpose. Tank wasn't dense. He understood why Ranger felt the need to push her away, but his friend needed to work on his communication skills where his emotional side was concerned. Tank snorted at the absurd idea that Ranger would get in touch with his emotions. Still, Stephanie would have understood why he couldn't start a relationship with her just yet, even if the truth bothered her.

"Just keep an eye on her," Ranger said in a hushed tone. "I need to know she's safe."

"I'll do all I can. You know how she is when she doesn't want to be found." Tank chose his words with care to avoid an outright lie, but felt a shower of sweat form on his brow. Sure, it was a lie by omission, but at least he hadn't actually had to fib, yet. Any more questions, though, and he would have a tough decision to make.

He heard the smile in Ranger's voice when he answered. "Yeah, I know. Just keep her safe. I'll add that to the list of apologies I need to make when I get back."

"You do that. Godspeed, Ranger."

Tank shook his head after he closed his phone and dropped it onto his desk. _I'm getting too old for this shit._ He punched the intercom button and Woody answered from the control room. "I'm going to forward my calls to the control room and bunk down for the night. Tell Lester to leave me alone until 0800 unless he has Stephanie cuffed to his wrist. If she calls, keep her on the line until I get there and that's a standing order until the boss gets back."

"You got it."

"When he gets in, tell Lester to get some sleep and call Ram to take his shift." Lester had done right by Stephanie last night and Tank felt he deserved the sleep. On the way to his apartment, Tank programmed his cell and then shut it down, hopefully guaranteeing a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. He uttered a silent plea for Stephanie's safety, then he fell into bed and drifted off to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Ranger started to hand his personal phone over to the duty officer in exchange for his mission phone and then pulled it back. "One more call, please."

The young duty officer, First Lieutenant Griggs, hesitated at the senior officer's request to bend the rules.

"I'll make it quick," Ranger offered as he opened his phone and pressed one button. He continued to keep eye contact with the young man while he waited. When the call connected, he lifted it to his ear and heard the voicemail message begin immediately. He cleared his throat and sucked up his courage. "Babe, I love you. I'll explain when I get back. Please, forgive me."

Ranger pressed 'end' and handed his phone back to Griggs. "Told you it would be quick."

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Stephanie woke with a start and groaned from the pain that emanated from the gargantuan headache ricocheting around inside her head and behind her eyes. She struggled to sit up and look around, expecting to see the truck's interior, but what she saw surprised her. She was in a bed with a carved wooden canopy secured atop four carved posts. Cream sheers were hung inside the frame's interior and obscured her view of the room. _How could I not have noticed this last night? Did I really fall asleep that fast?_

All she remembered about last night was the meal, the company … getting into the truck with two men she had just met. Now she was in a huge room decorated for royalty. _Yikes!_ Her eyes traveled down to her body, and she saw she wore only a man's large t-shirt and a pair of boxers. Her cheeks flushed with anger and her hands shoved down the heavy comforter. She launched herself between the bed sheers and looked around. There were two thick wooden doors. One was open and obviously a bathroom. The other was closed and most likely the way out.

She scanned the luxurious bedroom, barely noting the expensive furnishings, while she stormed out through the heavy wooden door. Looking around the new room, she saw that it was a multipurpose room comprised of a seating area and kitchenette. The 'table' was a large island with four tall barstools lined up along one side. The seating area had four modern burgundy and chrome arm chairs and a large chrome and taupe couch. Seated on the couch in front of an enormous plasma television with video game controllers in their hands were Merc and Geo.

They looked up when she approached, tossed their controllers down onto a large, uncluttered chrome and glass coffee table, and stood in tandem. "Hey, Belle!" Merc greeted and his huge grin faded when he took in her expression. "Uh, everything okay?"

"What's going on? I don't remember anything after we left the restaurant last night. Then I wake up this morning in clothes that _aren't mine_ and my bra and underwear are gone!" Her eyes flashed blue fire at the two men in front of her, whom she'd just realized had shaved. She was dumbstruck, staring at the incredibly handsome twins. Geo and Merc unconsciously took a step back.

"Calm down, Belle. You got undressed by yourself. I swear I just gave you the clothes to wear." Geo had his hands up as if she had him at gunpoint. "You fell asleep in the truck and I carried you up. You woke when we got back and muttered something about 'damned wine' and asked for the bathroom."

Memories started to weave their way through the tangled web of her brain and she felt like a fool. "When you came out, we all played Guitar Hero and drank tequila until about three when you said you had to go to bed. You left and this is the first we've seen you since then, promise."

She flicked her eyes from one pair of amber eyes to the other and wondered why she'd thought their eyes were brown. Not brown, but golden brown with a hint of sunshine that spread warmth into her. She felt her shoulders sag with embarrassment. "Okay, that explains my massive headache. Sorry, guys. I didn't remember."

Merc released a resounding belly laugh and Stephanie winced at the loud noise. "You think? You were so drunk, I think you crawled to your room."

"My room?"

"Yeah, Geo gave you his room last night. We're going to bunk together while you're here." Merc slipped his hands into his pocket in a casual stance and Stephanie had to look away from the well-defined chest beneath the tight gray t-shirt he wore.

Stephanie looked around at the expensive furniture and pristine apartment. "Um, where are we?"

Geo's grin reappeared and Stephanie was struck by how toothpaste commercial worthy they were; bright white teeth, gorgeous smiles, sexy bodies, and they loved to smile … a lot. "You _really_ don't remember last night, do you?"

"Oh no. What else did I do?"

"For starters, you won $800 on roulette last night and got us into trouble." Merc looked quite solemn when he said this, but Stephanie caught a flash of humor in his eyes.

She narrowed her eyes. "Oh? How did I do that?"

"By winning! We're not allowed to be anywhere in the vicinity of the tables," Geo said around a chuckle. Stephanie's eyes grew large and she crossed her arms over her middle. "Belle, I didn't mean because of any crimes or anything. No worries. It's just because, you know, of who we are and all."

"Who you are? _You're_ not in the mob, are you?!" She couldn't believe it. Of all the people to pick her up, she'd found two _family_ members.

"Not directly." Merc grinned and turned to Geo. "Wow, we're going to have to remember this tequila trick. It's better than tranquilizers!"

"Don't scare her. I like both of my balls where they are, Merc." Geo's voice drew Stephanie's enraged stare away from his brother. "We have never, nor would we _ever_, drug a woman or any other living creature … intentionally, that is."

"One of you has thirty seconds to give me a straight story or I will go apeshit on _both of you_!" She sent narrowed eyes to both of them and Merc sighed dramatically.

"Sorry, Belle. Let's have a seat and we'll _re_-explain everything to you." He displayed the taupe leather couch with his hands, Vanna White style, and Stephanie stomped past him to flop onto one of the softest cushions she'd ever encountered.

"Okay. We are Thaddeus and Geoffrey Mercer, like we said when we met. I take it you remember that part because you didn't ask our names." At Stephanie's nod, he moved on. "This hotel we're in–"

"Hotel?" Stephanie looked around, incredulous. It looked more like a palace.

"Yes. Please, don't interrupt or we'll be here all day and I'm starving." The mere mention of food caused Stephanie's stomach to perform its horrendous growly, snarling noise and both men stared at her in awe.

"What? I told you not to stand between me and food." She brought her hands up to rub her temples. "Okay, change of plans. If you want my focus, I need 'The Cure' or all bets are off!"

Merc and Geo stared at her, then blinked and looked at each other as if to ask, 'Did you get that?'

"My hangover cure," she explained. She moved hands to her eyes to keep the room from spinning and to hold the nausea at bay. "Large fries and a Coke from McDonalds. It's the perfect mix of sugar, caffeine, and fat to cure what ails me."

"Ah! Okay, I'll go grab some. Would a shower help while you wait?" Merc rose and pulled his truck keys out of his jeans pocket.

"Mmm, shower sounds good."

"I'll get some towels for her, bro. She's gonna need some _serious_ mojo today." Geo pulled out the worst 'surfer dude' imitation Stephanie had ever heard and couldn't hold her bubbling laugh at bay. A groan quickly followed and she bent forward to hold her nausea in check.

"Ugh! No more, not until this headache goes away."

"I'll get you something for that, too. Let's go, Belle." She felt Geo's gentle hand on her upper arm and heard the front door close as Merc exited the suite. Geo led her back into her room and walked into the bathroom. He opened a cupboard to extract a large, white folded stack of terry cloth items, one larger and one smaller. "Here's a robe and a towel for your hair. There's a bath sheet on the rack, as well." He placed them in her hands and then surprised her with a warm, spontaneous hug before retreating to the living room.

Five minutes later, the hot, steamy spray beat onto her flesh as she stepped into the shower. It was the first silent moment she'd had since the fiasco in Ranger's apartment last night. She'd been too distracted and worried watching her rearview mirror as she left Trenton to relax during her short drive. The memory of his rejection haunted her thoughts and she fought the tears of sorrow and pain she'd evaded for nearly twelve hours. Merc and Geo were a godsend; funny and witty, nice and – wait, what would their girlfriends think of her presence? They were seriously hot, and sweet, and ... she raised her face up into the spray of the water. _Don't go there, Stephanie_.

She opened the black-capped bottle of shower gel and her eyes popped open when the scent hit her nostrils. _What is this stuff?_ She looked at the bottle and read the label. "Sonic Death Monkey shower gel. Who comes up with these names?" She forgot the name and took another sniff. It smelled wonderful. Coffee? Chocolate? Orangey citrus? She couldn't nail down the scents.

Next, she grabbed the bottle labeled shampoo. She looked at the name. Rehab. "It's a Rock Star shower," she murmured and opened the bottle to squeeze some of the thick gel into her palm. Wow! This stuff was like a swift kick in the ass. Fruity, tingly, and spicy all at once. Her scalp would moan if it had a mouth and, surprisingly, her headache started to subside … just a little.

She gritted her teeth through the shower; the foody smells of the bath products had her stomach churning out 'I'm empty' sounds. She was ravenous by the time she wrapped her hair in the smaller towel, dried off, and engulfed herself in the huge, fluffy white robe. The smell of the deep fried sticks of heaven hit her senses when she stepped out into the common area. Merc and Geo waited at the table for her.

Matching smiles and golden eyes crinkled with mirth greeted her when she approached. She sent the brothers a half-scowl and plopped into a chair at the table. Her hand jammed into the carton of fries and shoveled a colossal amount into her mouth. They were hot, greasy, salty, and exactly what she needed. "That shower made me so hungry!" She grinned and grabbed another handful of fries. "I decided it must be a rock star's shower with names like Sonic Death Monkey and Rehab!"

"It was all that Guitar Hero last night. Conjured up those strange, but wonderful bath products." Merc laughed and sipped his coffee. "Now that you're eating and you smell better, maybe we should fill you in on us."

She crammed the fries into her mouth and flipped him off. Both men responded with barks of laughter. "You're priceless, Belle."

"Fanks," came her muffled response. Two orange Advil tablets sat on the tabletop beside her large beverage. She grabbed them and tossed them back with a swig from her straw.

"No problem." Geo said and then began the story. "Okay, our uncle is Larry Strattora. He's part-owner of the Strata Casino and Hotels – where we live." Geo paused to let that sink in and continued when the wide-eyed look Stephanie gave him started to fade. "He has no children and has never married. When our parents died, he took us in. I guess you could say we're the sons he never had." Stephanie nodded and took another huge gulp of her Coke.

Merc cut in. "We both went to Stony Brook University and studied instrumental music; guitar, bass violin, bass guitar, piano … and flute." Stephanie blinked in surprise. Flute just didn't seem like a masculine instrument. Well, at least he didn't look like the sort of guy that played the flute.

"I can see she doesn't believe me, G. Gonna have to demonstrate my mad flautist skills for her." Stephanie laughed and thought it was a joke, but he held up a finger and left the room. He returned a few moments later with a shiny silver flute in his hands. "Ever hear of beat boxing flute?"

"You mean like that guy in the NYC Subway that plays the flute and also does that rap beat with his tongue?" Stephanie scrunched up her forehead.

"Yes, like that. Here, listen." He put the flute to his mouth and played the hip hop rendition of 'Hard Knock Life' made popular on YouTube by Greg Patillo. When he finished, Stephanie stared at him, jaw open in utter amazement.

"Wow! That was incredible!" Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Merc grinned. "Thanks."

"I've always wanted to play an instrument, but never had the patience to practice." She gave him a wistful smile and realized deep down how much she wished she'd had more discipline for piano practice as a girl. Love for music was never a problem and, as an adult, it was still one of her best stress outlets.

"Maybe you never had music fun enough to practice. Sometimes it's more important to gain interest and work on perfection later. What music do you like?" Geo asked.

"I have a wide range I enjoy, depends on my mood. Right now, I feel like something chaotic and loud, like metal." Stephanie looked at Geo and shrugged. "Okay, I like the hard stuff better most of the time."

"My kind of lady," Merc said with a laugh.

Stephanie poured the leftover bits of fries at the bottom of the carton into her mouth and studied the two men. Her eyes moved from one to the other and she tried to spot the differences between them. She was amazed by their carbon copy looks. If they hadn't worn different outfits, she would have easily confused them. The last of her 'cure' was gone with a slurp of her straw and she collected the trash from her feast off the tabletop. "Okay, now I'm ready to hear the rest of your story."

_A/N: The bath products Stephanie used can be found at __www(dot)lushusa(dot)com / shop (Replace (dot) with a "." and remove the spaces around "/".)_


	5. FW Ch 5

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes._

* * *

Joe climbed into his police issued POS and put the keys in the ignition, but didn't turn them. Instead, he sat staring out the windshield and let his mind wander. It had been two weeks since Stephanie had left town and no one had heard from her, at least that's what everyone said to his face. He wasn't sure if they were telling him the truth or not. Personally, he couldn't imagine Stephanie keeping her mouth shut long enough to leave and not say a word to anyone. Even Mary Lou swore Stephanie had not contacted her. When he'd confronted her, Mary Lou had been concerned and angry she'd left so abruptly. It was the worried look in her eyes, not her words, which made him believe she was telling the truth.

With a sigh, Joe started the car and pulled away from the curb to make his way back through Trenton to the police station. He took the long way; cruising by all the usual places Stephanie might be spotted, hoping in vain that he might see her. "Damn it, Cupcake! Where are you?" Joe muttered as he pulled into the secure parking area for employees.

No sooner had he gone into his office than there was a knock at his doorframe and Carl Costanza popped his head in to say, "I'm on my way out to an 11-24 on I-295, same year, make, and model as Stephanie's. You want to ride along?"

Joe grabbed his jacket and followed Carl out the door. An abandoned vehicle that could be Stephanie's on the highway outside Trenton was worth his time. "Yeah, let's go. I'll ride with you because I'm beat. Worked that triple homicide on Stark last night."

"Nasty business. Why are you even here? You should be sleeping," Carl said when they climbed into his patrol car.

"Couldn't sleep." Not since the night he ruined his life, and hers. He was better than he'd acted and he'd learned his lesson, but was it too late to fix things with her?

Carl swung the police cruiser out of the lot and headed for the Interstate. Joe slumped down in the passenger's seat and closed his eyes; his thoughts focused on Stephanie. She'd left town right after his ultimatum and it left him raw and feeling even more guilt than he could stand. He'd pushed her too hard and upset her enough that she'd left town. He'd accused her of being in love with another man when she wouldn't marry him. Deep inside, he'd known that the real reason for her answer was because he'd sprung it on her. _You're such an asshole, Morelli._

The day after her disappearance, he'd gone to the Plum's to tell them about the breakup and Mrs. Plum had refused to invite him into her home. She stood in the doorway and listened to his edited version of events and his explanations. When he'd finished, she calmly said, "Thank you, Joseph, for explaining what happened." Her words had been like ice traveling down his spine. His hopes of a warm family reception from Ellen were dashed with her next words. "I think it's time you left, Joseph, thank you. Please tell your mother hello for me." She'd promptly closed her front door and shut him out.

It had been worse when he and Eddie had gone back later to tell them that Stephanie was missing. Frank glared at Joe. Ellen stood stock still with her eyes trained on Eddie. When Eddie finished speaking, Mrs. Plum said 'thank you' quietly and retreated inside the house. "I want you to know," Frank said, "that I'm not happy with the relationship you had with my daughter." Morelli gulped as Frank stood up taller and hitched his waistband up higher. "When she comes back, it will be up to her if she wants to see you anymore. I expect you to respect her decision." Joe simply nodded and followed Eddie out of the house.

He broke out of his thoughts when Carl flipped on the Lightbar and eased the car out of traffic and onto the shoulder. Before Carl could shut off the engine, Joe was out and striding down the embankment toward the small group of people huddled around a small swampy area. The minute he caught a glimpse of the dusty hunk of metal buried in a puddle of mud, he knew it was Stephanie's car. On the dash was the hamster bobble head that he'd gotten her a couple of months after Rex died. Joe remembered the look on her face when she'd opened the box. Her hand had reached in and pulled out the furry little bobbing toy and she threw herself into his arms and cried like a baby. Then she had screwed his brains out the entire night. Why hadn't he picked that moment to propose to her?

Mac, a highway patrolman Joe had met a few years ago, looked up at him and nodded a hello. "No sign of a struggle; mud's too thick to hide a body. Looks like a dump and run."

"It's hers," Joe called back to Carl, who nodded and ducked inside the cruiser to wait for him.

Joe pulled out his cell phone and called Detective Winters from Missing Persons. Chuck Winters had only been with the force for about three weeks, but he was thorough and meticulous and Joe valued those qualities, especially now.

Winters was an FBI agent from the New York City office, prior to that he'd been a decorated police officer from the Baltimore area. He specialized in finding the lost and had agreed to look into Stephanie's disappearance before the normal forty-eight hour waiting period. Joe had known Winters for years and worked with him several times when he was with vice; he knew Winters was doing this as a favor. It was well past the waiting period, so Missing Persons was now officially on the case.

"Sorry about this, Morelli. I was hoping for your sake she'd just show up in a few days and say she went on vacation to clear her head. I'll get you a copy of my report and progress after I get all the relevant details," Detective Winters said.

Joe knew that if anything bad had happened to Stephanie, Winters would figure it out. He was a legend in New York, a rogue of sorts. Joe had been amazed and slightly surprised at his methods, but he had to hand it to the guy: he always got results. He also knew that others had their own searches going for her, such as Manoso's entire staff. If she had left on her own, as the evidence suggested, it would prove difficult to find her until she wanted to be found. So far, there was no indication of foul play. Joe wasn't sure if he was happy or disappointed; it meant the ball was in her court and likely to stay that way for the time being.

He ended the call and trudged back up the hill to rejoin Carl. "I talked to Winters. Missing Persons will take possession of the car and I'm going to get in touch with some of my CI's again, see if any of them saw or heard anything since we talked last week."

"Tough break," Carl muttered darkly. Stephanie's disappearance, and Joe's part in it, had put a damper on his usual outgoing and jovial mood. "Maybe it's none of my business, but you've got Missing Persons dragged into this quest for Stephanie, and maybe it's pointless. It looks like she may have left on her own for some privacy. Why not let her have it?" Joe was surprised to hear Carl give such a sentimental opinion, but it was understandable. He was Stephanie's friend, too, and had been brooding ever since she left town.

"I don't know; you're probably right," Joe conceded. _What have I done?_

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Lester sat in his car, parked along Stark Street, with his phone up to his ear listening to the voice on the other end. The more he heard, the more his shoulders slumped. "You're sure?" When the man gave an affirmative reply, Lester sighed and said, "Okay. Thanks, Eddie. I owe you one."

He crushed the phone closed in his hand and tossed it onto the seat next to him with a disgusted sigh. Trying to find Stephanie the past two weeks had been a nightmare. He had worked his normal shifts and then spent much of his free time tracking down leads that all dead-ended. She was gone with no trace. Hector had been unable to raise a signal from the third tracker and had been upset. He would feel a little better when he found out she'd ditched her car. She'd done all the right things to cover her tracks and make it difficult for anyone to find her.

When he and Tank discussed her disappearing act, they'd decided since Stephanie was a city girl, it would be logical for her to head out for either New York City or Philly. It was likely she wouldn't venture too far from home. It was easier to fade into the hustle and bustle of a big city, but both cities were too crowded for a random search. And now, after talking with Eddie and learning that her car had been found abandoned, he was fairly certain she'd left town, with no immediate plans to return. The question now was, how did she do it? Did she walk? Hitchhike? Take a bus? There were no clues to indicate the method.

Tank had Ranger's informants in eight major cities on the lookout for her. So far, none of them had reported back with anything useful. He wouldn't be surprised if Tank sent a couple of guys out to track them all down.

His phone rang again and he looked at the display. "Yo, Manny," he answered.

"Ram and I just found Stephanie's cell phone a few blocks from Rangeman. I thought I'd let you break the news to Tank since we're on our way to a takedown."

"You always bring such wonderful news."

"I do what I can, man. Later."

Lester closed his phone slowly and set it down in the seat next to him as if it were a piece of fragile glass, then he lifted his hands up to the steering wheel and leaned his head back against the headrest. He took a few slow breaths and then shook his head. This news had to be reported to Ranger the next time he called to check in and then the shit would really hit the fan.

No one wanted to be nominated to break the news to Ranger about Stephanie leaving with no trace. With the addition of her phone being dumped, it was likely to be a _very_ unpleasant conversation. Lester was more than happy to leave that duty to Tank, even if it made him a pussy. Tank could tell Ranger bad news and not get killed. Lester would like to stay alive so he could wrap his hands around Stephanie's neck when they found her, or when she returned, whichever came first.

Lester released another sigh when he realized he needed to pass the information along to Tank. He leaned over and grabbed his cell, again, flicked it open with his thumb, and punched Tank's speed dial number. He was dreading the big man's reaction, but at least it wasn't Ranger he had to inform. He'd get to keep his balls for another day.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

"Well shit!" Tank yelled after he disconnected the call.

"What's up?" Hal asked as he turned his gaze from the house they'd surveyed all evening to look at Tank.

"They just found Stephanie's car. It was down an embankment off I-295. No indication that it was involved in an accident, although it would be hard to tell with that piece of shit. On top of that, Manny and Ram just recovered her cell phone. Just confirms our suspicions that she left town." Tank shook his head and rubbed his large hand over his bald head. "Now I get the fucking pleasure of telling Ranger the next time he calls."

Hal snorted. It wasn't often he saw Tank pissed. Annoyed, yes. Pissed, no. When the man started swearing every time he spoke, it was a safe assumption that he was a very angry man. "That will be a fun conversation. 'Hey Ranger. I know I should have told you two weeks ago, but…' Man, I don't envy you that one."

"Yeah, me either. Damn!" Tank dropped his head back on the headrest and uttered several more colorful curses when Hal nudged him, stopping his tirade to catch his attention.

"Skip just walked out, man." Hal zipped his jacket and Tank did the same. They left the SUV and withdrew their weapons from their belt holsters.

Tank nodded to Hal and took point as they walked away from the nearly obscured vehicle. "Let's go see a man about a bond." Tank was in the mood to smack something around. It wasn't this guy's lucky day.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

"Okay, that's good. See? You have five chords down!" Merc grinned and gave Stephanie's shoulder a squeeze.

"And my fingers don't hurt as much as last week!" Stephanie was beaming. She'd been learning to play guitar and strengthening her fingers every day. She almost gave up after the first week because her fingertips were so sore and they had near-permanent grooves in them from the guitar strings, but she stuck it out and the pain was a distant memory. It had been more than she'd accomplished with any personal enrichment endeavor she'd attempted in the past. She was extremely proud of herself.

Geo flopped down on the other side of her on the couch where she and Merc were seated, careful not to smack his body into the rounded end of the shiny black acoustic electric guitar she was strumming. "I told you it'd get better. Callouses, they're wonderful things." He winked at her and then mock shivered. "Oh yes, love callouses."

Stephanie screwed up her nose and nudged her elbow into Geo's ribs, then turned to Merc to ask, "Okay, what's my new chord today? I learned and mastered five chords, and now I can even play some songs. What next?"

"C7!" He laughed at the expression on her face. "I promise, it's different from C Major and it's important."

"But I already learned C…"

Merc's face remained pleasant and patient as he held up his hand to stop her. "I can see we're going to have to give you some music theory lessons on top of teaching you how to play the guitar."

Stephanie couldn't have been more pleased. Her new friends had taken her in and given her a focus to remove Joe and the 'Unmentionable One' from her mind. The nice surprise was how she found she loved to practice her guitar and had even begun experimenting on it when the guys were out. She wanted to show them what she'd learned on her own and get their opinions, but she still felt unsure, intimidated, and decided to wait.

The time away from Trenton and the ever-present Burg gossip had given her the kind of break from reality that she craved. During her time in Atlantic City, they'd taken in a few shows and visited some of the casinos. Stephanie was ready to figure out what she wanted for her life and wasn't in a hurry to rush it. Periodically, thoughts of her friends and family swirled through her mind, but she always shoved them away. Twice, she had been tempted to contact her parents, but forced herself to stay away from the phone. She didn't need anyone's demands on her life right now.

Ranger had hurt her to the core. Even if he didn't want a relationship, Stephanie thought he would have been gentle about telling her so. Then again, he had left so abruptly after they'd completed the DeChooch deal that she realized she could hardly expect anything else. Still, he'd been so tender toward her over the past year. He had _been_ different, so she'd naturally assumed that it meant his feelings had grown. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

In the evenings, she accompanied Geo and Merc to 'The Closter' bar, which was geared toward the 20 to 30 year old crowd, to listen to _Naked Soul_'s regular performances and show her support for them. She supposed some of the regulars thought she was a groupie, and sometimes she felt that way, but it was far from the truth. M&G, as she'd begun to think of them, had given her so much of their time that she had no problems supporting them. She loved the cover songs the band performed, but most of all, she loved their original music. Her favorite was called 'Drying Up My Soul'. The song was about living a life that was going nowhere and, boy, could she relate to the lyrics. It had made such an impression on her that she found herself singing along whenever they played it.

She pulled out of her thoughts and noticed both Geo and Merc staring at her. "What?"

"You were singing our song." A soft smile played on Geo's lips as he spoke.

Stephanie smiled at both of them, "Yeah, I was just thinking how much I like it."

"You have a great voice. How come you never sang before when we were jamming?" Merc's question was more curious than anything else, but Stephanie detected a note of awe in it, as well.

"I just never – I was too concentrated on playing to think about singing, I guess."

"You just never what?" This question came from Geo on her right.

Stephanie turned to look into his steady gaze. "I never thought that I was much of a singer."

Geo scoffed at her statement. "Who _ever_ gave you that impression?"

Stephanie shrugged. "No one ever _said_ anything. When I sang at home as a kid, my mother would hush me."

"_What_?" Merc said in an incredulous tone. "Didn't you ever get the 'Well, try it and see if you like it, but you have to stick with it for six months' speech or anything like that?"

Stephanie sank lower into the couch cushions and began picking at some imaginary lint on her sweater. "I usually got the 'Why do I have a daughter who can't…' or 'Why do you always have to embarrass me, S – uh, Michelle?' So, no, there wasn't much encouragement to try _new _things, just pressure to do _her_ things."

Her speech was met with absolute silence. She was afraid to look up at the guys. She didn't know if they'd caught her slip of the tongue or not. She waited a few moments, then raised her eyes to take a peek at them. Their identical faces held the same expression: shocked outrage.

"Let me get this straight," Geo finally said after a few moments. "You were told you were an embarrassment–"

"I am told with every decision she doesn't like; it is part of why I married Mr. Wrong when I was young. Or, I _was_ told, but then I left. She doesn't say much to me since I left." She smiled at her last statement. Stephanie was starting to lose some of her Burg guilt and gain resentment for the treatment she'd received from her mother.

"You're a grown woman and your mother still says that you're–" Merc stopped with a look of bewilderment on his face. "Okay, does she still complain about what you _don't_ do right? Wait," he said when he saw Stephanie's expression, "why am I asking? If she is disrespectful enough to call you an embarrassment, then of course she tells you what you do wrong."

Geo shook his head in amazement. "Wow, no wonder you ran away. Pair that with the idiots who hurt you…" His brow darkened in a deep scowl. "Well, how about we do everything you never believed you could accomplish?"

Stephanie laughed. "Trust me, I don't need to do half of those things anymore. Now, I only want to be my own person. Okay, and I still want to fly."

"Interesting. It's something to keep in mind for surprises later," Merc said. "But, how about we keep working on your music for now? You're a fast learner, but promise us you'll sing more! You have that Ann Wilson thing going on, it's sexy."

"Ann Wilson? From_ Heart?_"

"Yeah. Well, your voice is fuller; hips narrower." Geo slid an arm around her shoulders and leaned his head against hers.

"I _love_ that band." Stephanie had a look of awe on her face. "Well, their early stuff, anyway. You think I sound like her?"

"Yes, but your voice resonates more. That okay?" They both turned their faces to look at each other, their faces a centimeter apart. Geo was incredibly good looking and her mind registered it, but there was no physical attraction. Stephanie felt comfortable and confident. It meant something to have friendship with men who expected nothing from her other than what she wanted to give.

"Uh, yeah," Stephanie laughed and then pulled back, sobered. "But I need to tell you both something I haven't been honest about."

"Your name isn't really Michelle Cherry?" Merc asked.

Stephanie's jaw dropped. "How did you know? Why didn't you tell me you knew?"

"Figured you'd say when you were ready. I got it from the newspaper. Half of Trenton is looking for you, Stephanie." He pulled up a paper and showed her a copy of the _Trenton Times_ with a picture of her on the front page.

Stephanie groaned. "Oh great! Now I have to call my parents. This is a nightmare. Even when I leave that _damn_ town, I make the front page of the paper!" She stopped and cast a narrowed glance at the two of them. "_Why_ do you have a copy of Trenton's paper?"

"Yesterday there was a little blurb in _Atlantic City Weekly_ that said Stephanie Plum, the famous Bombshell Bounty Hunter, had gone missing two weeks ago. I went to school with a guy who lives in Trenton. He's tapped into everything – a genius of sorts. He told me about your 'disappearance' and I looked it up online." He gave her a self-satisfied smile. "Once I determined it was you, I asked him to get me a copy. He didn't disappoint, met me last night to give this to me. I thought you might want it for yourself, you made the front page."

"What? Who is your friend?"

"He's a guy named Salvatore. You may not know him. You'd have to run in the right circles, and I'm sorry, but you don't look like the type."

"Oh shit, let me guess. Is it Sally Sweet?"

Both men dropped their jaws. "You know Sally?"

"Omigod! It's a long story." Stephanie stood and began to pace, clearly agitated. "Fuck! You didn't tell him you knew me, did you?" Her hands were trembling and she shoved them into her jeans to keep them steady.

"Not on your life, Belle." Merc stood and drew her into a comforting embrace. His hands rubbed gently up and down to soothe her nerves and he placed a kiss on her temple. "I told him that the story was interesting and I wanted to read more about this bounty hunter. He didn't mention he knew you."

Stephanie stopped. "He didn't say anything?"

Merc slightly danced his head back and forth in thought; eyes squinted, teeth clenched in an 'oops' expression. "Well, he said something that confused me. He said 'You think you know someone' and then he slapped the paper in my hand and changed the subject. I thought he was talking about me."

Stephanie sat on the coffee table and buried her face in her hands. _What a nightmare!_

"Belle, does anyone know where you are?" She snapped her head up to look at Geo.

"No, and it's damn well going to stay that way." Both men held up their hands in an 'okay, calm down' gesture. "I left because I had to. You don't know these guys. They'll be on me like flies on poop if they catch wind of where I am."

Merc studied her for a moment, looking over her hair and her body. Stephanie grew uncomfortable under his scrutiny after a several moments and finally shouted, "What are you looking at?"

"Well, it seems that you're a pretty well-known gal. I was thinking we could make some changes so that anyone looking for you won't recognize you. That hair is a dead giveaway and–"

"I'm _not_ cutting it off or dying it. Been there, done that; it was a disaster!" Stephanie covered her hair with her hands in protection.

Geo laughed. "No, but my boyfriend, Lucio, has a great resource for amazing wigs. I think we should get a few." At Stephanie's snarl, he grinned and put up his hands. "No, I promise. They look natural. They're _very_ expensive. Real hair."

She did a double take at Geo. "Did you say boyfriend?"

Geo cocked his head at her. "Yep. Boyfriend."

She nodded. "It's always the way it is. Hot, sweet, kind - totally not interested."

Geo laughed. "You want me to be interested in you? 'Cause I _am_ bi."

"No!" She stood and smiled sheepishly. "I'm just saying it seems to be the way things are." She turned to look at Merc.

"Straight, 100%. Geo likes to experiment, I'm boring." The brothers laughed.

She cast her eyes around the common room. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Merc laughed. "Not hidden in here." She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her gaze at him. "I'm in between girlfriends right now. The band takes up all of my time and I'm not a one night stand kind of guy."

"Well, that's good." Stephanie blew out a breath and planted her hands on her hips. "But seriously, I don't want you to spend money on me all the time. I'll never be able to pay it back."

Merc slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close for a brotherly kiss on her cheek. "You don't have a say in it." He pressed a finger to her lips to silence her and looked at Geo. "I don't know about you, G, but I, for one, want to hear more about how Belle here got the nickname from the paper." Merc's smile was contagious and Stephanie found herself smiling back. "Must be a pretty spectacular story. What do you know? We've been trying to gain fame and she's got it mastered already!"

Geo threw his head back and laughed. "That is so typical!"

Stephanie shook her head and joined in the laughter with her two friends. "Okay, here's the reason they gave me the name…"

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

"Repeat." Ranger didn't bother to disguise his anger. Tank was lucky he couldn't get his hands around the man's giant neck.

He heard Tank pause and let out a breath. Ranger struggled to keep his emotions in check, but the anger was rapidly building into full-blown carnal rage. "Stephanie's been missing for two weeks. Left town the night she came to talk to you. No one's seen or heard from her since."

"You told me you would keep her safe. You…"

"What I said was I'd _try_. At that point, we were still trying to find her and thought she was just hiding out with friends, blowing off steam. This is the first time you've called since we've confirmed everything." Tank was working hard to cover his ass and Ranger forced himself to draw in a deep breath through his nose and exhale slowly through his mouth.

"Tank, do whatever it takes, use whatever resources available to Rangeman. Just find her." Ranger's voice was a quiet plea to his friend; the only man Ranger trusted with his life. The only man he had trusted to take care of his heart and he'd let her go missing.

"That's what we've been doing and we'll continue to do everything possible."

Ranger hung up and sat down on his bunk. He'd not only broken Stephanie's heart, but she'd left town because she couldn't face him and didn't know he was leaving. The reality of his fuckup sank in and he regretted the hasty words he'd uttered when she had shocked him nearly senseless with her confession. He was adept at handling complicated military campaigns, but he didn't know how to be honest with the one person who mattered most, the person he loved.


	6. FW Ch 6

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes._

_A/N: As always, thanks to my readers. I appreciate your support and hope you enjoy this next installment. Thanks to M, Alf, and May for their continued work as betas and for constantly pushing me to think when I write._

* * *

Ranger let himself into his apartment on the seventh floor of the Rangeman building and dropped his duffel on the floor. He looked around the clean apartment; the emptiness hung in the air and choked him like a thick fog. It'd been a year since he'd left Trenton; a year since he'd stood in this very spot and hurt the woman he loved, since he'd sent her away instead of telling her the truth. A year had gone by since she'd left town without a trace, angry and hurt.

He placed his hands on the edge of the counter and bowed his head in disgust and self-loathing. He'd had a chance to have Stephanie in his life and he'd thrown it away. His cars, his wealth; none of it had mattered to her. He'd denied her the one thing she truly wanted: his love. Instead, he gave her a lie, the lie he had nothing to give. He'd regretted the words even before he spoke them.

"Babe, where did you go?" The year-long ache in his chest had waned to a dull throb, but it still pained him. He had been able to focus on his mission, but wouldn't allow himself closure over it; he refused to give in without a chance to tell her how he really felt. Unfortunately, she'd taken the opportunity away from him with her disappearance. When he'd stepped into his apartment, the pain exploded inside him; a pain like none he had ever experienced before, a pain that almost dropped him to his knees. He reached up and pressed a fist to his sternum as the memories of Stephanie, which lingered around the apartment, worked their way into his mind. Stephanie at the kitchen island spreading huge globs of cream cheese onto a bagel, on the couch cuddled into his chest watching _Ghostbusters_, and in his bed, soft and warm, pliant in his hands, and gazing into his eyes with hers so full of love it had terrified him. He closed his eyes at the irony of his life, irony at how his greatest fear had become the idea he'd never see her again.

Lost in his pain, a noise at the door startled him and he whipped around to see Tank against the doorframe with his arms crossed. Ranger scowled at his friend, but Tank held his ground and refused to look away. "You have to let this go for now, man. There's not much you can do until she decides when, _or if_, she wants to be found." The large man swiped a hand over his bald head in frustration. "From our intel, Stephanie Plum doesn't exist anywhere. We've kept the channels open for any and all signs: credit checks, job applications, DMV records; we've even checked morgues and arrests, no hits of any type."

Ranger sighed and his shoulders slumped, which allowed this man, his friend, to see him in a rare moment of visible weakness. "I still can't believe she left." And she'd most likely never heard his message.

"You already know my opinion on the subject," Tank said and then waved his comment away when Ranger turned to speak. "Forget it. I'm here right now because, somehow, Morelli knows you're back and he's down in the lobby. Says he won't leave until you talk to him."

Ranger rubbed a hand over his face and muttered, "Just what I need." He looked up at his tall companion. "I've been up for over thirty-six hours, I have stitches in twelve places on my body, and some of them are in – painful spots. To get out alive, I had to cross Dante's seven levels of hell; but the eighth level," he laughed humorlessly, "the one I created myself, nearly destroyed me. I felt so guilty about how I treated her and knew I wouldn't have her – that she wouldn't be waiting for me when I got back."

Tank blinked at his friend's uncharacteristic speech and stared, taking in his appearance. He looked almost fragile with heavy-lidded eyes, mouth drawn tight in a semi-permanent grimace, and weight loss. His posture, however, portrayed the biggest change; he looked defeated. "I can put a call in to the chief and let him know what a pain in the ass Morelli has been, but I don't think it will help. He's come around periodically over the past several months and asked for you."

Before Tank's eyes, Ranger, the wounded, transformed into Ranger, the Badass. His shoulders stiffened, his spine straightened, and the killer look returned to his sunken eyes. "I'll take care of it."

Tank shook his head after the fatigued warrior left the apartment. He rolled his eyes up to the heavens, thankful the bottled-up anger inside of Ranger had an outlet other than him. He heard the elevator doors ding closed and went to grab a beer from the fridge. He intended to stay in the apartment until Ranger returned so he could make sure his friend got some much needed sleep. Whether by natural means or Tank's fist, he'd make sure the man slept.

He sat at the kitchen island and enjoyed the first cold swallow of beer when a zap of realization hit him. He'd just sent a pissed off Ranger down to meet up with a livid Morelli. "Shit!" He slammed the bottle down on the counter, spewing foam out the top, and raced to the stairs. His feet thundered down the two flights to the fifth floor. He'd watch the exchange on the monitors and intervene, if necessary.

Ranger exited the elevator in the lobby and his angry, vacant eyes met the cold, enraged stare of Joe Morelli. They sized each other up, shoulders parallel, eyes locked like an Old West showdown. Morelli blinked first, "I want to know what you did with Stephanie."

"Clarify exactly which '_with_' you mean." Ranger was pissed off enough at his interruption to toy with the cop. "Do you mean all those times when I asked her to meet _with_ me in the alley? Or when I helped her _with_ the mic position beneath her breast? Or what I did _with_ her when I had her naked beneath me in her bed; when she screamed _my_ name?" He needed a fight and Morelli made an ideal candidate – so what if he primed the pump?

Morelli's eyes went from cold and angry to blood-filled rage in less than a second. "You underhanded, conniving son of a bitch!" He launched himself in Ranger's direction and his heart screamed 'Kill, kill, kill!' while his mind reasoned he'd known all along about their relationship. Which of the two were stronger, he didn't know and didn't care. He wanted his hands around Manoso's neck.

Ranger made no attempt to ward off Joe's advance. He waited until Joe's hands were nearly on his neck and said, "It won't be good for either of us if we fight right now."

The quiet strength of Ranger's words caused Joe to spread his arms wide and drop his hands away as if they had been burned. He lowered them and glared at Ranger. "What. Did. You. Do. With. Stephanie?"

Ranger felt like smirking, but he didn't want to antagonize Morelli anymore than he had, they'd only end up bloody and hurt on the floor. He decided honesty was the best approach. "She came over here around ten the night she left."

Morelli's eyes narrowed. "Ten? She came here after our fight."

"Correct. She told me you demanded her to marry you and she said no." Ranger decided to tread carefully from this point on given the pained look in Joe's eyes, especially since he'd been brilliant enough to incite the man. "We had a short conversation. She got upset with me and left. I grabbed a chopper on the roof fifteen minutes later."

"You had a short conversation? What could you say to piss her off so much that–" Joe's words trailed off and he hooked his thumbs through his belt loops and stared at the floor. "Damn, I'm such an idiot!" Joe started to pace and mumble in Italian. He came to a sudden stop and pinned Ranger with his gaze. "She told you how she felt. She told you she loved you and you, you selfish bastard, you told her – what _did _you tell her?"

Ranger stared at him for two beats and then sighed almost inaudibly. "I told her I had promised her nothing."

"You're a stupid asshole! You know that? You chased her, strung her along, came between us, and when you finally get the girl, you break her heart!" Joe's voice grew in volume with every word he spoke and now stood in front of Ranger. With a swift movement, he slammed his fist into the tired man's face and knocked him flat.

The elevator doors opened and a huge, angry beast named Tank stormed out and took hold of Morelli's jacket collar. Joe struggled against Tank's hold and curled his lip at Ranger. "You're pathetic. You were a coward when Stephanie came to you and you're a coward now."

Tank tightened his grip and hefted Morelli one-handed off the ground with a loud growl. "Both of you knock it the hell off!" Tank dropped the livid man to the floor and shook his head. "I thought you were smart enough to keep your cool."

Joe looked ready to explode when Ranger's tired voice drifted up from where he sat on the floor. "Leave him alone, Tank. I deserved it." He reached up and swiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth.

Tank held out his hand and pulled Ranger up to his feet. "That why you didn't defend yourself? 'Cause you thought your sorry ass deserved a beating?"

"It did." Ranger turned to Joe and cast him a measured glance. "Freebie to you, Morelli, to get it out of your system. Next time you throw a punch at me, I won't be the one on the ground. Get out of my building."

Joe stared at Ranger for all of thirty seconds and then said in a quiet voice, "You love her."

Too tired to deny the truth, Ranger put his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes in thought. "She's my life. Never planned it, but it happened."

Joe pursed his lips and counted to ten. He hadn't expected to find this out tonight, but felt fortunate to have heard it. At least he _now_ knew it wasn't his fault Stephanie left town. It took only a moment to decide not to waste any more of his free time on Stephanie Plum. "Fine. She's your problem. Now I know I'm not the bastard who drove her away, my hands are clean. It's up to you now; though honestly, I'm not sure I can wish you luck."

"Fair enough," Ranger said and gave a slight nod of agreement.

Joe adjusted his jacket and zipped it up. "By the way, have someone from your office call me in the morning. We have a line on a skip your guys have tailed for a couple of weeks. I'll go over the details with someone _other_ than you tomorrow." Joe turned on his heel and left through the front door, intent on working damage control with the Burg grapevine. It had slowed down over the past year, but his reputation had taken a downward turn and he planned to reclaim some of it back, tonight if possible.

Tank and Ranger looked at each other. "What the fuck just happened?" Tank asked.

"He needed to take me down a notch, it's been building for years."

"Can you still work with him?"

Ranger turned to watch Morelli swing his leg over the Duc, start it, and take off. "The question is: can he still work with me?" He swung his gaze back to Tank and said, "He's had his say. I'm offline the next three days."

Tank followed Ranger to the elevator and watched as he pressed the buttons for five and seven simultaneously. When the elevator stopped on five, Tank made no move to leave. Ranger cocked an eyebrow at him as if to say 'This is your floor' and Tank pursed his lips and gave a small shake of his head. "Left a good beer waiting on seven," he answered.

"Ella will take care of it."

"Yeah, but why waste a good beer?" Tank accompanied his friend to the seventh floor and followed him inside the apartment. "You need anything?"

"If I do, I'll call my housekeeper – unless you want her job?" Ranger sent Tank a pointed look.

Tank raised his hands in surrender. "Care to join me?"

Ranger walked to the fridge to pull out a beer for himself. He joined Tank at the breakfast bar and swigged the cold brew. As they sat in silence together, Tank thought about how he'd never seen Ranger so dejected before and worried for his friend. He hoped, for Ranger's sake, he learned to cope with Stephanie's absence.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Stephanie stared at her face in the mirror and blinked. She didn't look like herself. Tonight's disguise differed wildly from those she wore out in public with Geo and Merc. She narrowed her eyes and played with expressions. _Yes, I think I just found Michelle Belle's 'look' and I like it._

She had experimented with different styles of face makeup to hide her identity when she sang, but hadn't liked anything, until tonight. First, she applied her black crystal encrusted false eyelashes and let the glue set. Next, with a steady hand, she lined her eyes with a thick, black line, thinner toward the inner corners and thicker at the outer corners, and then curved the line out and up along the crease to end in a narrow point a half inch past her brow bone. She swept a second black parallel line along the contour of the outer swish to create depth. She traced a bright purple line with an eye shadow pen along the lower outline for the entire length and blended it into the point, careful not to smear. Her upper lids, she painted in a shimmery bronze and fanned it out to meet the point of the swish as well. To finish off her eye makeup, she traced a bright white, glittery line beneath the purple and blended a smudge of bright red over the bronze at the outer corners.

To top off her look, she traced a brown-black brow liner pencil out from her brow to extend it to the length of the swish, and then curved it upward to follow the same contour. The effect was very Cleopatra, sort of catty and mystical – and stunning. Black, purple, bronze, and red, all tastefully combined with the bright emerald of her tinted contacts. How strange to see her blue eyes absent, but even stranger to see the sleek lines and dramatic makeup transform her face from Stephanie Plum to Michelle Belle.

With care, she applied the reusable 'cheek stencil' Geo's boyfriend, Lucio, had created for her. It came in extremely handy for Geo to have a professional stage makeup artist as a boyfriend. Lucio had produced some easy ways for Stephanie to change her appearance without cosmetic surgery, her favorite being the stencil. With the sticky silicone decal in place, she took the liquid bronze eye shadow brush and traced the swirly design until all of the bar skin inside was covered. Finished, she removed the 'stencil' and set the look with a light dust of shimmery translucent powder. She swiped on a glittery red lipstick, brushed on a layer of clear gloss, and then cleaned her hands off with a Handi-Wipe.

Not unlike _KISS_, they had determined it best for the entire band to conceal their identities with facial makeup to help preserve Stephanie's anonymity. The guys all had various designs painted on their faces around their eyes or down their cheeks in black paint. Geo even lined his eyes with black eyeliner and painted his nails black that made Stephanie laugh the first time she saw it. The others were less conspicuous, but their main goal was to keep Stephanie hidden in plain sight.

She didn't want anyone from her past to recognize her and come, or not come, to find her. She wasn't sure she could handle it if her identity was revealed and Ranger didn't come looking. She also didn't know if she wanted to see him. Geo and Merc concealed their faces so they wouldn't be easily recognizable out in public when they were with Stephanie, even though she wore a wig and sunglasses when outside their apartment. It turned out to be almost pointless because everyone who had seen them perform recognized Geo and Merc. Admittedly, they were unforgettable guys: tall, built, handsome, perfect smiles – the list continued. In those instances, Stephanie pretended to be a girlfriend and draped herself over Merc's arm while he talked with those who stopped them. She'd found she was nearly invisible to other females who wanted to talk to them, much as she had been in the company of the Merry Men.

Nearly finished with her preparations, Stephanie covered her pinned up wild brown curls with a waist-length black wig with subtle red highlights, custom dyed by Lucio's friend and stylist, Arnaud Benoit. The rest of her outfit took less time to assemble. She'd already pulled on the black low-rise cotton Bermuda shorts, black leather belt with tiny chrome studs, and deep purple halter top which ended two inches above her natural waistline. On her legs, she wore black tights with silver dragons imprinted on the outside of her calves. Combined together, the ensemble left a few inches of pale, tight skin visible in her midriff. Down one shoulder and arm was etched a long, winding temporary tattoo in black, purple, and red. It was an abstract design with lines weaving and curling in and out of each other. Iggy had applied it for her using more of Lucio's stencils. She wiggled her feet down into her Christian Louboutin Nitoinimoi Bandage Ankle Boots, her favorite part of the outfit.

Stephanie straightened the wig and pushed a few pins through the netting into her real hair to keep it in place. She spared a full-bodied glance at the total effect in the mirror nailed to the back of the door, and checked first the front and then the back. An involuntary flinch shook her when her upper arm peeked through the wig and exposed the one true permanent change she'd made to her body. In the center of her arm, right over the scar left by Abruzzi, a skin modification peeked out through the silky black strands. She'd had branded to her arm the image of a Japanese throwing star, with spiky arrowhead points, which appeared to be embedded in her flesh sideways. A tattoo artist had made it look real by inking the effect of open flesh around the disc's edge and drew out small trickles of blood from the wound. For dramatic effect, a few droplets of blood were scattered onto the disc itself. The raised disc was tattooed in a shimmery silver ink and in the center of the disc curved along the rounded center were the words: Love Denied. When Stephanie met with the tattoo artist, she had given him three words to describe the emotions she wanted the design to portray: injured, refused, and alone. He had captured her feelings perfectly.

Merc and Geo burst through the door dressed and ready for the stage in skin tight t-shirts and even tighter skinny jeans. The t-shirt Merc wore with his black jeans was black with a faded white dragon design elongated across his lower torso and wrapped around his waist. Geo combined a pair of black jeans with a red t-shirt adorned with a faded white angel whose wings outstretched and spread across his back. Both men wore thick black belts around their waists Sketchers on their feet; Merc's red, Geo's bright green. Stephanie knew the rest of the band wore attire along the same lines.

Both men approached her and kissed her unpainted cheek. "Nice, Belle. Did your eyelashes wink at me?" Merc asked while his hand lingered at her waist.

Stephanie grinned at Merc. "Crystals. Nice touch with the lip piercing. Thaaat's not _real_, is it?"

Merc laughed and the thick silver ring through the center of his bottom lip glinted in the overhead light. "Yep! Got it done yesterday, but we haven't seen you in a couple of days since we went to visit Uncle Larry in New York."

Geo grinned. "Total fake! Costume jewelry! He's too much of a wimp to do it for real."

Stephanie narrowed her eyes at Geo and studied the conch piercings in each ear, which consisted of thick silver barbells. "Um. Those _do _look real_, _though," she said and flicked her index finger against the adornment.

"Damn it! Don't touch it! They're real and hurt like a bitch." Geo flinched away from her and then had to dance away from Merc, who made a move to flick him from the other side. "Hands off, bro. They seriously sting today!"

"Oh my God! You two are nuts! At least you won't be able to trick me with your identities now; not that you can anymore." Stephanie laughed and walked over to hug her boys. They'd been together in the hotel suite for the past year since the night they'd picked her up on the side of the Interstate outside Trenton. "Did you have a nice couple of days off?"

"It was great." Merc snuggled close and gave her a squeeze, his lips a hairsbreadth away from hers. "We missed you, though."

Unable to take the deep, cleansing breath she so desperately needed, Stephanie stared into his eyes and said a little breathlessly, "Ah well, I enjoyed all the sleep I got without you rowdy boys around." Merc gave her a slow, sexy smile and his lids lowered fractionally while his eyes studied her face. Then he drew in a slow breath through his nostrils, stepped back, and went to the mirror to brush Lucio's special powder on his facial stencil to set it.

Stephanie, a quick study on the acoustic, had soon moved to electric and, shortly after, had joined in rehearsals with their band, _Naked Soul_. Since she'd devoted the majority of her time in the past year to practice, she'd surprisingly excelled with the instrument and the hard work paid off. She not only played lead guitar, but also sang lead vocals and alternate vocals on most of the songs, though Merc still took over lead guitar on the more difficult songs since she was far from virtuoso level. The brothers had been excited to discover her strong mezzo voice perfectly fit the Alternative Metal style they preferred.

Her admission to the band came about because, after three months of guitar lessons, she felt brave one night and showed them some of the 'messing around' she'd done on her own. She figured out that moving a few fingers here and there on the fret, as well as plucking some fingers on the strings while strumming, created a pleasant transition between the chords. A blush still crept into her cheeks when she remembered Merc's pleased look and excited response. "Belle! You're ready to start on the electric if you want!"

Stephanie had agreed and the rest fell into place. Eight months after her first electric lesson and three months after she'd started rehearsing with them as a new band member, she joined the band on stage for her debut performance. Though it had been two weeks ago, her stomach still quaked when they went out on stage to perform. They covered many songs, including one of her favorites: _Hero_ by Skillet. Stephanie's creative spirit awakened at some point in the past month and, when alone, she worked on a song she had chorded for the two months prior. It was almost finished and she'd planned to share it with the guys soon, when the right moment presented itself and she could swallow her fear.

The door opened and Gus, the entertainment manager for The Closter, motioned them out for show time. Stephanie checked her appearance one last time and noted that her nails, long and painted blood red, were in perfect shape, never the case when she'd been a bounty hunter.

A voice came over the loudspeaker and announced: _You've waited all night to hear them and here they are! Give it up for 'Naked Soul' featuring Michelle Belle!_

The band entered the stage together and took their positions. Iggy, short for Ignacio, started off the set with a wild drum solo and Geo joined in with a heavy base line. Stephanie followed after a few bars on her white and glittery purple Gibson _Flying V _in a solo that received catcalls and shouts for more. As the last notes of her solo faded away, they launched their set. With the crowd roaring and pumping their fists, the set of seven upbeat songs had everyone revved up for a night of fun.

They finished their last song, _Hero_, on a loud, staccato chord and then took a break to cool off and have some refreshments, namely some shots and water to relieve their parched throats. Their second set came later in the night, but they always took time to mingle and hang out with the steadily increasing crowd of fans.

"You are pure magic, Chelle Belle," their keyboardist, Ryan, said as he hooked an arm around her neck and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek, careful to avoid her stage makeup.

Stephanie grinned up at Ryan and wrapped an arm around his waist to give him a squeeze. "Thanks, Ry." She opened her mouth to speak again when a familiar face caught her eye. Her features locked down and she turned around to down her shot of tequila.

A sexy voice beside her ear asked, "You okay, Belle?" and a warm hand caressed the bare skin on her lower back. She glanced up at Merc and gave a quick nod. "Funny, but even with makeup on your face, I can tell you're bothered about something."

She gave him a light glare and said in a hushed tone, "Don't look now, but see the guy over in the corner at the table nursing his beer?"

Merc grinned at her, gave the room a casual glance, and then leaned down. "You mean the guy with the shaggy hair and the busty woman draped on his arm?"

Curious, Stephanie glanced around and saw Joe Morelli beside the table on his feet with his arm around the waist of none other than – _Connie Rosolli_? _What the hell?_ She looked great! She'd dropped the extra thirty pounds that had always seemed to stick to her short frame. The weight loss hadn't left her any less busty and she was now killer in a slim grey pencil skirt and tight red sweater with a black belt around her waist. On her feet were four inch black FMPs and she still stood almost a head shorter than Joe, who smiled into her face and caressed her cheek. The woman had also toned down the overdone Burg makeup and hair for a soft and sensual new look. _Wow!_

Stephanie felt a slight pang of remorse and hurried to squash it. It had been right to end her relationship with Joe and she was happy for him, but she was even happier for Connie. _Great for both of them!_ She had a new life now and had no regrets. Well, almost. Save for the one named Ranger, another matter completely.

She looked down into her empty shot glass before they noticed her surveillance and nodded to Merc. "Yep, he's the one, the guy I might have married."

"The cop?" It had taken several months, but Stephanie had finally opened up to Geo and Merc about Ranger and Joe and the night she left. Of course, they'd been supportive and appropriately outraged.

"The same."

"Looks like he recovered well," Geo said from her other side.

"We were over the night I left, why shouldn't he move on?" Stephanie gave Geo a wistful smile. "And, if you knew his girlfriend like I do, you'd be supremely happy for her."

"Well, get ready to be supremely happy. She's headed this way," Merc whispered. His lips brushed against the shell of her ear and her stomach fluttered.

Stephanie struggled to breathe around the panic in her chest. She could fool a lot of people, but fool Connie? She didn't have long to consider since the woman now stood right behind her. By the time she felt the tap on her shoulder, she'd hitched her panic into manageable hysteria. She took a deep breath and then turned and gave her old friend a crooked smile she hoped looked nothing like Stephanie Plum and, in her best Brooklyn accent, said, "Hey, nice to meet you. Michelle Belle, and these two are Merc and Geo." She'd lowered her voice to a husky purr and watched Connie's reaction with sharp eyes. Luckily, Joe hadn't joined Connie or Stephanie would have fainted from the stress.

Connie smiled and stuck out her hand to each of them. "Pleasure to meet you. I saw your band at Club Mileau in Philly last month and you were excellent. Since then, I've wanted to meet you and tell you I love your voice and the way you play."

Stephanie shook Connie's hand and kept her crooked smile plastered on her face. She tightened up one side of her mouth in a different manner from her norm, which made her feel a little like Elvis. With a quick prayer of hope to pull it off, she responded, "I love to meet fans. We have the best fans, don't we, boys?" She glanced up at Merc and Geo, who fought to keep their lips from a display of amusement.

"The absolute best!" Merc smiled and extended his hand to Connie, who took it and gave a firm shake. "I'm Merc, this is Geo." Connie turned to shake Geo's hand with a polite smile.

Connie turned to Stephanie and a slight frown formed between her brows as she considered her for a moment. "You remind me of someone, but I can't put my finger on it."

Stephanie's pulse started a wild drumbeat in her neck and she tipped her head forward, in a shy, humble look, which was not insincere. "Really? How many women do you know who wear makeup like this around town?"

Connie laughed and relaxed. "I've told my friend Lula about you, but she's so busy with her boyfriend and classes, she couldn't come tonight. I'll drag her to one of your concerts someday, though she prefers a more hip hop, rap beat with loud bass. But I think she'd like your music well enough."

_Lula!_ Stephanie felt another pang of sadness in her chest. She missed her friends and, if she'd thought they could keep her life a secret, she'd have contacted them to let them know she was safe and happy. She knew a certain _someone_ would drag the information out of them if there was a hint they knew anything at all, if he was looking. She wondered if he even cared what had happened to her after their disastrous conversation.

She fought the urge to ask about Lula's new life. Instead, she gave Connie another lop-sided grin and said without thought, "We're performing at ladies night at _Spike_ in Princeton in two weeks on Saturday. Drag her there for a night out and, who knows, maybe we'll make a convert of her." Stephanie winked for dramatic effect.

"What a great idea! We haven't had a girls' night since–" Connie trailed off and a look of sadness worked its way over her face for a second, but she replaced it with a shaky smile. "Well, it's been over a year. Lula and I have another friend who'd love a night out. Besides, my boyfriend is headed out of town on business and it will be a great distraction for me."

Stephanie swallowed the lump which had formed in her throat at the word 'boyfriend' and smiled. "What's he do? A business tycoon or something?" _Or an undercover cop, perhaps?_

Connie shook her head and turned slightly to look back at Joe, who gave her his seductive smile from where he sat at his table. "No, he's – well, let's just say he's great at what he does."

Stephanie nodded and remembered the times Joe had to leave at the drop of a hat and not given her any warning. The fact Connie knew he was leaving proved Stephanie had been right to walk away. He'd hardly ever shared valuable information with her and usually dropped the bomb on her the day, sometimes only minutes before he left, similar to Ranger. How sad that neither of the men in her life had enough consideration or trust in her to tell her about themselves, what they did, or where they went. She gave a wan smile to Connie. "Well, if he's as good as you say, I'm sure he'll be back in your arms soon."

Connie beamed a smile and said, "Yeah, he is and you're right." She turned around to look at Joe who had kept a steady eye on Connie with his bedroom eyes. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you. I'll come see you play in a couple of weeks with the girls!"

Stephanie smiled back and watched Connie cross the room to Joe. When she reached the table, he stood and swept her into a warm embrace and kissed her, effectively closing that chapter of Stephanie's life. _Keep moving forward_.

"We're up in six, Belle," Geo said with a gentle nudge.

"Great, I'm in the mood for some soulful ballads." Stephanie stood and walked backstage with the band to ready their instruments and prepare for the final eight songs. Her mind wandered to the Burg and her friends. One person from her old life flitted through her mind, someone she desperately wanted to contact. She decided to find a way to do it without revealing her whereabouts to Trenton at large.


	7. FW Ch 7

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes._

* * *

Ranger handcuffed the skip he and Tank had caught into the back of the Cayenne to the bar installed over the seat. After he shut the door, he climbed into the driver's seat and waited for Tank's door to slam shut before he drove to the police station.

Quiet permeated the car during the ride. The skip, Chris O'Malley, knew better than to test the two muscled men in front of him. This second ride to the pokey with these men paled in comparison with the first, which had not been gentle. He'd put up his hands and complacently allowed himself to be cuffed the moment he realized they'd caught him. His ribs still hurt when he remembered the first time they apprehended him. For some stupid reason, last time he had tried to shoot the large black man. The creative abuse they'd heaped on him had terrified him. A wiser man now, he knew when to let go.

Ranger forced his mind to concentrate on the road in front of him during the short ride to the police station. He worked hard daily to push a certain brown-haired siren out of his mind, but Stephanie Plum continued to haunt his memories and dreams, as she had for the past fourteen months, and truthfully, the past four years. Just when he thought he'd conquered his own obsession with her, inevitably he would smell her perfume wafting down the sidewalk or his path home would take him by Tasty Pastry and she would rocket up to the forefront of his mind again.

He couldn't pinpoint what troubled him most about Stephanie's absence: not knowing what happened to her life or getting used to the void she left. The pain was still there, but he'd toned it down to a dull ache instead of the daily torture he'd succumbed to when he returned to Trenton two months ago.

As if on autopilot, he swung into the side lot of the police station and pulled into the nearest spot to the entrance. He left the car idling while Tank escorted O'Malley inside. The silence in the car pressed on him and he reached to turn on the radio. The soft melodic sounds of classical music pushed the silence away. He relaxed into the back of the seat, allowing the music to override the memories which threatened to evade his mind. He had no idea how much time had passed when he felt the car dip under Tank's weight. He shifted his gaze when his friend spoke. "Man, next time we take the Denali. Why don't you trade this little thing in? It kills my legs."

Ranger stretched out his arm to cut off the music and the peaceful look on his face turned to stone. Tank retraced what he said and mentally smacked himself up the side of his head. _Damn it_! Even if the wheels fell off the man would keep this vehicle; it had been Stephanie's favorite one to drive.

"Sorry man – wasn't thinking," Tank offered as an apology.

Ranger smirked. "You just reminded me, I still owe you for your little _send-off_ last year."

Tank cut his eyes to Ranger, wary. "My little send-off last year? I don't – oh shit. Ric, you don't still hold a grudge, do you?" Despite his tough exterior, some of Tank's fear made its way into his voice. "You even agreed you deserved it."

"Be that as it may, you dealt me a cheap shot. So as repayment, I've promised Mary Lou you'd babysit her kids on Saturday night so she can go out with the girls." Ranger held his composure and, at the same moment, Tank lost his.

"You did what?" Tank exploded. "How could you do that to me? That is low, man. Real, real low. You know what happens when I get around kids! Damned little rug rats running circles around me. Remember what happened when I had to babysit Ram's boy? I still don't think he's forgiven me for losing the kid in the building's ventilation system." Tank shook his head in disbelief. "And that wasn't my fault, he did it on purpose! I should have known you'd get creative. There's no way you can kick my ass on the mats." Tank propped his elbow up on the window and rested his temple against his fist, hoping his taunt would make Ranger take the bait.

Ranger flicked Tank a look of annoyance. "Don't be so sure of yourself. I admit neither of us would fare well against the other on the mats. This is the best option and more fun for me. Stop whining."

Tank mumbled under his breath a word that sounded like 'shit' and crossed his arms, his eyes focused on the quiet parking lot. Silence ensued and Ranger pulled out of the lot, headed toward Haywood. "So, I guess Lula's girls' night is why you decided to take Friday night off instead of Saturday?"

"Yeah. Lula, Connie, and Mary Lou want to go to a club in Princeton on Saturday to hear this new band Connie is wild about. It's called _Naked Soul_. I guess there's a female lead singer and she's 'wicked' on the guitar." Tank grinned at the thought. "It's ladies night, so they decided to do the girl thing and Lula and I changed our plans to Friday."

Ranger nodded his head. _Naked Soul_. It sounded like how he felt lately. Open and bare for the world to see his wounds, only he knew the world had no idea how much he hurt inside. "The band name sounds familiar." Ranger thought about it and then remembered. "Tobias Rockwell owns a huge club in Newark. He's the new client we picked up last week. We've got a security gig for them in six months. Huge concert. _Naked Soul_ opens for _Flight Odyssey_ that night."

Tank flicked a glance at Ranger. "You know the name of the bands?"

"Photographic memory. We looked over the concert plans in detail for hours yesterday. Had a huge meeting with his team to plan out the security needs, nail down teams, and give me time to hire additional help, if needed. We might be okay pulling from the Boston team instead of hiring. Five bands in total will play, and the new blockbuster group Les is always on about, _Twisted Mind_, will close the concert." Ranger shook his head. "I have half of mind to give him the night off instead of rostering him. He needs to see a shrink over all the psychotic music he plays."

Tank's laughter rumbled in his large chest. "Santos needs to see a shrink for a lot of reasons, his music ain't the only one." He sobered slightly and asked, "Hey, how are you doing?"

"Now's not the time. It's a good day, let's leave it alone."

"All right, then let's negotiate the Mary Lou deal." Tank knew when not to push his friend and if today was good, Tank didn't want to be the one to spoil it.

"Not a chance."

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Stephanie went through two large Cokes, a large fry, a Big Mac, and an apple pie at McDonalds while she thought up a plan to get in contact with Mary Lou without drawing attention to herself. If, and it was a big if, Ranger was looking for her, Mary Lou would be on his radar: hidden cameras and bugs in her home or on her car, phone taps, stealth drive-bys, not to mention monitored snail mail and email. Ranger had no limit when it came to his manic security episodes, especially when he wanted something. Her solution? Prepaid cell phone. She had even gone to a mall kiosk and purchased one along with several prepaid cards for additional minutes.

Thank God she now received a stipend from the band account to cover her personal and living expenses. Geo and Merc were generous and treated her like family, but she had never been the type to accept charity. Just because she left Trenton behind, didn't mean she lost her scruples. Her one frustration was that the guys didn't allow her to pay rent. They reasoned since they didn't pay rent, she shouldn't.

Lately, the three of them discussed renting a condo overlooking the beach. Stephanie found out the suite they used was reserved for their family and her bedroom belonged to Uncle Larry for use when he came to town on business. Her level of extreme discomfort in taking his bed sparked the conversation and they planned to go tour some models first thing in the morning. When and if they moved, she planned to insist on paying rent or she would find her own place to live. She knew how to get what she wanted and 'no' wasn't an option.

Stephanie stared down at the sealed box in front of her. Feeling like an idiot, she had unpackaged the cell phone wearing latex gloves, programmed the phone, and repackaged it. After writing a quick note, she slipped the phone, cards to reload the minutes, and the note into a small FedEx box, then sealed it. Only then had she removed the latex gloves.

She knew it was crazy not to want her fingerprints on anything, but she still felt the strongest urge to stay as far away from Ranger as possible. The caution kept away the jitters over her decision. _If_ Ranger kept Lou's mail monitored or _if_ she got suspicious of an unexpected package and took it to the police department, there was nothing to lead them to Stephanie. She had provided a random address on the air bill she'd taken from the 'for sale' ads in the newspaper she perused while she ate. The required phone number for the air bill was a bigger problem, but she provided Merc's in the end. She knew he'd play outraged prank victim if someone called the number. The Atlantic City address provided a place for any searchers to concentrate their efforts, but she'd become adept at hiding in plain sight and wasn't worried.

Her mind wandered to her note. She'd written '_Call me_' and signed with a friendship symbol she and Mary Lou had designed in junior high school. They'd used the symbol instead of their names to avoid trouble for passing notes. It was a simple picture of a heart and written in the center was word 'amiga', the feminine form of the Spanish word for 'friend' – they'd both said it was appropriate.

The only hitch in her plan might come if Lou was too angry or hurt to call. Stephanie hoped not, but it had been a long time with no contact. She thought about how she'd feel if their positions were reversed, but objectivity came hard for her. She wanted to believe she'd be understanding, but had no way to prove it to herself.

Stephanie sighed and picked up the box with a napkin. On the way to Merc's BMW, she thought about her strategy. Lou would receive the package tomorrow, which left plenty of time for them to talk and plan. She felt the concert this weekend presented the perfect opportunity for a reunion. If Lou planned to attend with Lula and Connie, Stephanie would instruct Lou on how to find her back stage. Lou's inability to attend was another possibility. Stephanie knew there were frequent babysitting issues with three rowdy kids. Willing, responsible adults were difficult to find. Usually, finding a sitter entailed some version of blackmail.

The car ride to the shipping center took little time. After parking, Stephanie used the napkin to carry the box inside. With no line, she paid in cash and was back on the road in no time. The ride to the hotel went by quickly and she soon stood in front of the door to the suite sliding her card key through the electronic lock. She walked through the door and dropped her purse on the kitchen island on her way to the couch.

Sprawled out across the cushions with her guiltar, she thought about the shock of seeing Connie and Joe together in The Closter. It had shaken Stephanie to the core to see them kiss, but at the same time it confirmed she and Joe were not right for each other. The temptation to reveal herself to Connie had been strong, but she'd decided against it. While she trusted Connie not to betray her, Stephanie didn't want to ask her to keep anything from Joe, he didn't deserve it. The constant lies between them had driven a wedge between Joe and Stephanie when they had been together. The last thing she wanted to do was to put Connie in a position to have to lie to Joe. Though she would never have put them together, Connie and Joe made sense and it made her smile to think of them. Joe deserved someone who understood his cop life and wanted the same type of Burg existence he craved. Connie fit the mold very well, as long as Joe didn't try to tame her too much. She'd keep him in line and he'd make her very happy.

She pondered life and the strange way it seemed to morph based on the decisions people made. For instance, she wondered if Joe and Connie would have found each other if she'd remained in Trenton. When just one element changed, in this case her departure, the future changed dramatically. It almost seemed as if she had held their lives at bay until she left and they were able to progress forward as fate intended. Her mind held a huge amount of curiosity for how their relationship got started, though. She knew it had to be a great story!

Stephanie didn't regret leaving, though she missed some things about her former life. She felt bad cutting out those closest to her, but she wanted to explore the new, free Stephanie and see who and what she could be without all of the expectations, gossip, and danger. The danger hadn't bothered her much. Okay, it had bothered her a lot, but she'd enjoyed bond enforcement for the most part. No two days were the same, she didn't have stupid office hours, and she normally didn't have to wear pantyhose. Playing in the band, however, topped bond enforcement in adrenaline rush and excitement. It also helped that no one tried to kill her anymore and she had a steady paycheck since they were successful enough as a cover band to make a living. She loved the constant support from people instead of continual censure.

The lock on the suite door clicked and she swung her head around to see Merc enter the room. He walked toward her with a concerned look, dragging his feet. "What's up?" She asked.

"Iggy has the flu. I hope he recovers before Saturday." He dropped onto the couch beside her and looked at the guitar in her hands. "More practice?"

"Sort of." She redirected his attention away from her guitar and said, "And don't worry about Iggy. He has four days and he takes good care of himself. We only have a set of eight songs so he won't get too strained if he's still feeling weak."

"I know. I just wish we had one more original song. We need to move away from covers and introduce our own stuff, but it can take time to put a new song together." He leaned over and put his head on Stephanie's shoulder and she reached her arm up to curve over his head so she could stroke his hair. His arms wound around her waist and he snuggled in close. She could smell his cologne and felt her eyes glaze over slightly. It'd been a long time since she'd allowed herself to acknowledge her attraction to any male, but she was almost to the place where it couldn't be avoided anymore.

She and Merc had continually gotten closer over the last several months. Their moments were too close for comfort at times for Stephanie; she was frightened of giving in to her base desires, so she ignored them. To explore the Merc feelings meant she had to explore the Ranger feelings and she wasn't ready to detonate that bomb, yet. Unless he pressed the issue, they could both pretend they didn't have any temptation.

Instead, she focused on the problem at hand: the music. She chewed on her lower lip, and held her breath for a few seconds. Merc looked up at her and his eyes held hers for a beat. "What are you thinking?"

"Well," she blew out her breath, "I've been working on a song for the past couple of months, actually."

He sat up and really looked at her, curious and a little excited. "Yeah?"

Stephanie nodded. "Yeah. It's as finished as I can make it on the acoustic. I haven't tried an electric part, yet. Every time I thought I should just stop trying to write, it wouldn't leave me alone."

"That's the way songs are written, Belle. Let's hear it. What's it called?" He lifted his head and turned sideways to face her and drew his legs up to sit cross-legged with his elbows resting on his thighs, hands dangling down between, relaxed.

She cast a nervous glance at him and then shrugged. She trusted him not to be cruel, but to be fair. "Uh, I call it _Let Me Go. _Okay, here goes, but don't say I didn't warn you. It's not much right now."

She began to strum lightly on the guitar Geo and Merc had given her soon after she'd come to live with them. She played through the first few bars and then she let her voice pour out the words she wrote a few months ago, all of the emotions she kept locked inside flooding out through her music:

_Show me something I can see.  
Tell me words, say anything,  
to bring me back to life._

_For everything, a price to pay.  
Yours is nothing, so you say,  
I know it's just not right._

_I gave up when we were through.  
Tell me why I still feel the things I do._

_I need my heart back in one piece.  
I'm asking you to set me free  
from the memories inside.  
They're taking my life._

_I thought leaving was the way,  
but I think of you every day.  
You're in my soul,  
I'm sure you know  
I'm still under your control.  
Just let me go!_

_Words are running through my mind  
you've said to me over time.  
Can I ever go back?_

_Touches lasting on my skin,  
love that warmed me from within.  
Will I survive the lack?_

_I was so in love with you.  
Tell me why I couldn't separate the two._

_I need my heart back in one piece.  
I'm asking you to set me free  
from the memories inside.  
They're taking my life._

_I thought leaving was the way,  
but I think of you every day.  
You're in my soul,  
I'm sure you know  
I'm still under your control.  
Just let me go!_

_Well I'm over the trying,  
And I'm living for dying  
to the one who took my heart._

_And I'm running on empty,  
ever since you left me.  
You have torn my world apart._

_I need my heart back in one piece.  
I'm asking you to set me free  
From the memories inside.  
You've taken my life._

_I thought leaving was the way,  
But I think of you every day.  
You're in my soul,  
I'm sure you know.  
I'm still under your control!  
Just let me go!  
I need to let you go!_

As the final notes faded out, Merc sat completely still, his eyes never left her face. Uncomfortable with his silence, Stephanie opened her eyes for the first time since she'd started the song to peek at him. After a few moments of silence, he leaned forward and framed her face with his hands, then bent to kiss away a tear from her cheek she hadn't realized escaped her eye.

She leaned forward into his embrace and his arms tightened around her. Stephanie didn't want him to see the raw emotions she experienced when she sang her song. To share it with him now was to open the wound she'd closed off so many months ago when Ranger took away her last shred of hope. Merc gently tipped her head up with a fingertip under her chin to meet his gaze and said in a cracked voice, "Belle, that is–"

"I know, I told you it wasn't much," she groaned and tried to pull back out of his light hold.

Merc shook his head and held her steady against his chest. "I was going to say it is a powerful song. There's this incredible emotion that comes out of you when you sing it. Belle, this song is perfect, just what we need. It's something people can feel for themselves."

She blinked in disbelief. "I'm not a song writer, Merc. I've only just played around with this. Will you stop that and listen to me?" He'd been shaking his head since she'd started talking and it grated on her nerves.

"You don't understand. It's real music when you write from a place deep in your soul as you have. This is the freedom that has become Stephanie Plum. Let Me Go – it's more than just a song title, it's you taking off, Belle. You're flying. The world is your playground; you can go anywhere, be anyone. This is you in control of your own destiny." Merc beamed a smile at her and increased the pressure of his arms. With her body pressed close to his, he bent his head to press a soft, gentle kiss to her lips. Her lungs stopped and her heart tripped into double time at the contact. All she could think was: _Wow._

He slowly released her and scooted back until their bodies were no longer in contact. Once free from his devastating warmth, she turned her mind back to his words. The way he put it, Stephanie realized he'd summed up what she felt as she'd penned the words to her song. It was the epitome of her break from the bondage of everything that held her back: no more expectations from her mother, no more constant criticism, no more Morelli demands or Ranger craziness with fifteen men sent out to tail her every move. Stephanie Plum was totally free. And it hurt like hell.

"Thanks, Merc." She stood and walked across the room, to rest the black, shiny guitar on its stand near the other instruments. "I'm gonna go take a nap for a while, I'm drained."

"You've got it, Belle. What do you want for dinner?"

She shrugged. Food didn't exactly appeal to her at this moment, but she knew she would be starved later. "Whatever. You know me, no brown rice or vegetables."

His chuckle followed her into her bedroom. She closed the door to shut out the world and the Merc thoughts and stripped down to her panties and t-shirt. She climbed into the large bed and tossed around for a while before a fitful sleep overtook her. From the recesses of her mind came dreams of mocha latte arms around her body in a tight, comforting hold. A feeling of safety surrounded her, even with just the memory of his protection, and eased her into a deep, satisfying sleep. It was a satisfaction she never reached when she was awake, a connection to the man her heart still loved which she consciously denied herself.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Ranger woke and reached out to tug Stephanie against him, but his hand met with a cold, empty sheet. With a sigh, he flipped over onto his back. The feel of her in his arms had been so real; he could smell her hair, feel her warmth, and touch her skin. Unable to let go of her phantom while he remained in bed, he slipped from beneath the covers and went into his closet to pull on some workout clothes. He needed to get her out of his head; the ache was too deep tonight.

* * *

_A/N: Song 'Let Me Go' written and copyrighted by xboxbabe._


	8. FW Ch 8

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes._

_A/N: Thanks to my readers for their encouragement and compliments for the last chapter. I was overwhelmed by responses to the song and am humbled by you all. Thank you. M and Alf, thanks a bunch for your hard work and help on this chapter. This story wouldn't be where it was without you. :)_

* * *

Tank pulled into the driveway of Lula's rental home located a few blocks over from the Rangeman office. She'd lived in the house for nearly two years and had a steady stream of undesirable roommates, all who ranged from drugged-out prostitutes to thieves who'd run off with some of her favorite valuables. It had taken her nearly eight months, but she'd finally found two girls who had similar goals: work hard, save money, and stay away from the streets. Over the last fourteen months, the three had become good friends.

He swung out of the SUV and walked toward the house. He liked Lula's roommates and felt they'd been good for her; she'd needed to build some new friendships. They had helped her work through her anger over Stephanie's abrupt departure and supported her when she made the decision to leave the bonds office to find a job with better pay and benefits. Tank was proud of all three of them. They were making great strides in their lives to overcome their pasts and build a solid future. No one could ask more, he certainly didn't.

Lula had found a position as a teller at a local bank and made it through the training classes as a star pupil. Once she learned she could be a good student, it sparked an interest in taking some college courses in the evenings after work. Her roommates had each talked about it at various times for a few months; so one night over pizza and margaritas, they decided to go for it and enrolled in a business computers course at a local community college.

The door opened before he could reach his hand out to grasp the knob. "Double T!" Lula launched her slightly slimmer self into his arms and he wrapped his chiseled arms around her. "Where are we going?" She had taken to calling Tank 'Double T', DT for short, because she said he was twice the man of any other she'd ever known.

"You know the new sushi place you wanted to try out?"

"The fancy one? Shōtoku Garden?"

"That's the one, Doll Baby."

Lula squealed and squeezed her arms around his neck, nearly cutting off his air supply. He patted her back and gasped. "Oh! Sorry, DT! I got carried away."

Tank laughed and kissed her. "Let's go. I have reservations beside the Koi pond."

Lula laughed in excitement and hooked her arm through his. "I'm ready, Mr. Sexy Man. Take me to the fish!"

He drove her across Trenton in his new Lexus LX570. The vehicle was big enough and roomy enough to fit his frame, yet dripped with luxurious comfort; leather seats, wood trim, nine-speaker sound system, and heated power seats. He'd asked Lula's opinion on the color and went with her preference, choosing the red color 'Noble Spinel Mica' instead of his standard choice of black. He was pleased with the look of the deep red color and the appreciation he saw in his woman's eyes when she looked it over.

She didn't know it, yet, but he had ordered a Lexus SC430 for her when they'd gone to look at the SUVs. She had fallen in love with the little Matador Red model and wandered back to it repeatedly. She'd almost convinced him to buy it for himself, and he might have if it hadn't looked like the worst sort of torture to squeeze into for a man his size. Instead, he ordered the car for her with all of the bells and whistles, plus the rear spoiler, for her birthday next month.

He also had a special surprise for her at Christmas by way of a five carat Cartier princess cut solitaire in a platinum setting with channel set diamonds. Sure, they'd broken up for a stupid reason a couple of years back, mainly his obsession with cats, but he knew she was the woman for him. She had changed his life.

"I heard you went to lunch with Morelli." Tank wasn't worried about Morelli, but he was curious about why the cop wanted to meet with Lula.

Lula looked a little nervous and said, "Uh, he just wanted to catch up, you know? Check up to see if I heard from Stephanie." She winced at her own lie.

"Lula." Tank's voice let her know that he didn't buy her lie. He shifted into a more comfortable position and waited patiently for her to give it up and explain.

It took a few beats, but soon Lula blew out a breath and stared out the window. "Fine, but I can't look at you when I tell you. I made a promise and you're asking me to break it."

Now even more curious, he said, "You know I won't tell a soul, Lady Lu. Not even Ranger."

Satisfied with his answer, she turned to him with excitement in her eyes. "Supercop is gonna propose to Connie tonight!"

The announcement almost made Tank drive off the road in pure shock. "But they've only been together for what – less than two months?"

Lula shook her head at him as if he didn't understand. "Sure, they've been a public item for two months, but he spent a lot of time at the bonds office, especially the first six months after Steph went away. He and Connie had a lot of time to chat and get to know each other." She smiled, happy for her friend. "Next thing you know, little Miss Connie has a gym membership and eats healthy. Then _bam_, one day our little Connie is _fine_. F-I-N-E. And Supercop noticed. Connie doesn't have any guilt over it."

Tank nodded. He knew Lula told Connie and Mary Lou about the conversation between Stephanie and Ranger the night she left. He also knew they hadn't told anyone else because they realized Stephanie wouldn't have wanted it all over the Burg. He knew the women loved to gossip so their silence felt eerie, almost like a eulogy to their good friend.

"He asked her out on a date the day after Batman came back to town. It's like he waited for the right moment." She looked thoughtful and Tank wanted to distract her before she asked questions he couldn't, or shouldn't, answer.

"Well, I'm glad. S'bout time Morelli moved on with his life." If only he could get Ranger to do the same.

Lula nodded and a sad look came into her eyes. "I can believe Stephanie left without a word to those fools Morelli and Ranger about where she went, but to not call me or Connie, and especially Mary Lou?"

"You know why she didn't." He reached over and picked up her soft hand. "She'll come back when she's ready."

Lula nodded. "I know." Sometimes when she thought about it, she felt hurt to know one of her friends had so little faith in her.

"She'll be back and when she is, she'll need love and support from her friends."

Lula narrowed her eyes at Tank. "You don't need to tell me that! I can love the shit outta anyone, but I _will_ give her a piece of my mind first!"

Tank laughed. "She wouldn't expect any less from you, baby."

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Stephanie sat on the window seat with a spectacular view of the ocean, but she didn't even see it. Mary Lou hadn't called her and Stephanie figured she would have received her package a couple of days ago. She felt let down, even though she knew she didn't have the right. A sigh escaped as she rested the side of her head against the cool hard surface of the windowpane. Obviously, she had misjudged how much she had upset Lou and couldn't find it within her to blame her friend for not calling.

She'd thought, no hoped, Lou understood she had good reasons for her abrupt disappearance and call, even if it was just out of curiosity. Now it seemed she was wrong. Stephanie looked down at the phone in her hands and sighed. It was another prepaid cell phone. She still hadn't taken the time to get a contract with a carrier and found she didn't use it enough to warrant the expense. Not to mention a prepaid phone couldn't be traced to her.

She tossed the phone down beside her feet on the cushioned seat and closed her eyes with a sigh. Now was as good a time as any to get a nap. Apparently, Merc and Geo had different ideas because they burst through the front door and ran over to her. Geo exclaimed loudly, "Belle! You will _not_ believe what just happened!"

She turned her head slightly and cracked one eye open. "What?"

Merc put his hands on his hips and gave her a mock frown. "Come on! You need to be more enthusiastic!"

She rolled her eyes and sat up with a more 'excited' expression on her face and asked, "Gee, what is it, Pa?" in her best Opie Taylor impression.

Geo ruffled her hair playfully and plopped down beside her. His hard, muscular body squished, her against the window. "We just ran into Devin Stone-Croft downstairs in the Casino."

"Why were you two in the casino?" She narrowed her eyes at them.

"We were nowhere near the tables!" Merc tugged on one of her curls and picked up her feet. He settled down into the seat and pulled them onto his lap for a massage.

With a low moan, Stephanie closed her eyes and enjoyed the heaven he created in her tired arches. "Geoffrey, you have zero-point-two seconds to explain to me why I should care before I pass out from your brother's magic touch."

"'Kay," Geo said and she could feel his laughter against her back. "He's the guy who produces _Twisted Mind_. Big time record company guru."

The massage forgotten, Stephanie's eyes widened and she shoved Geo's body away so she could sit up. "Really? How did you pull it off?"

Merc grinned like a little boy ready to launch into his pile of presents on Christmas morning. "Get this! He came to the hotel and asked where he could find _us_!"

Stephanie stared at Merc and Geo laughed. "Gee, what's wrong, Belle?"

"Well! What did he want?" Stephanie launched herself off the window seat and paced over by the couch. "I can't believe he approached us!"

"It was because of Mitch from _Twisted_. Remember the jam session we did last month with them at battle of the bands?" Geo practically hummed with excitement.

Stephanie turned around and looked at Geo. Oh yes, she remembered Mitch. He'd done everything in his power to get Stephanie to go back to his hotel room. She'd had to keep up pointless banter with several people she didn't know to avoid the creep. Geo's announcement gave her pause. "Mitch told him about us?"

Merc stood and walked over to her. He settled his hands in a light grip on her shoulders and gave them a light squeeze. "Stone-Croft doesn't just listen to bands on a whim. He's super busy. It means he's heard our stuff."

"He wants to listen to us?" Stephanie's mouth locked open in shock.

Geo fidgeted in his seat. "Yes. He'll be at The Closter tonight." He got up and crossed over to Merc and Stephanie and threw his arms around both for a huge group hug. "Aaaand," he paused for dramatic effect, "_Let Me Go_ is on our set list for tonight."

"Oh no. No, no, no. It's not ready. I can't do it tonight!" Stephanie felt pure panic rise in her chest. "We should do one of your songs."

Merc shook his head. "Geo's right. We need something to off-set the rest of our songs. We'll do our originals, too. With this guy in the crowd, we'll want our whole arsenal, not just covers, but we'll even them out between the two sets tonight. Stephanie, your song is the one. I can feel it and if you look deep inside, you know it, too."

Stephanie began to pace to ward off the nervous energy, which had just filled her. Geo piped in, "Our band's name is _Naked Soul_ and I don't think we could have found a better song to represent us than the one you wrote. It is pure, naked emotion; it's deeper than _Drying Up My Soul_. We need it tonight, Belle. Please?"

She dropped her head and stopped all movement. She hated when people used 'please' to win her over, but she didn't have the heart to say no. They had saved her when her car quit on the side of the highway; then they gave her a place to stay, gave her two instruments, became her friends, and helped her blossom into the person she'd been afraid to become for so long. If she was more confident, it was because of their support and constant cheerleading. She lifted her head and saw they knew they'd won. "Fine, but I want to rehearse it. I want Ryan to join me with the part he created last night when we ran through it. Actually–" She was throwing up obstacles and they all knew it.

"No way, Belle. For tonight, do your acoustic version. It will show variety in our sound and it's truly beautiful with just your voice and the guitar. It's perfect and I wouldn't change a thing. I mean, one day we'll rock it out, but it's right to do it this way," Merc expressed in a soft voice.

Stephanie's shoulders drooped as she exhaled loudly. "Okay, but we _will_ amp it up at some point in the future."

"Deal," Geo agreed. He bounded over to wrap her in a huge hug and swung her around and around until they were both dizzy and tumbled to the floor in a pile of belly laughs and cackles.

She'd almost forgotten about her phone when it rang. Her laughter stopped abruptly and she sat up. "Merc, can you check to see who it is?"

He reached down to the floor, where it had fallen when she'd jumped up from the seat, and scooped it up to read the display. "It says Lou."

With a gasp, she stood and tore over to grab the phone from his hand and hit 'Talk' as she brought the small device up to her ear. "Lou?"

"I thought it was you," she heard Lou's tight voice on the other end of thephone and began to worry about the reason for her call.

"Yeah." _Think, Stephanie, think._ What to say? How to begin?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Mary Lou, who simply said, "I understand."

Stephanie sagged in relief and sat down on the window seat. "I needed time. I was so hurt and I just … ran."

"Yeah, we heard about what happened between you and Ranger. I don't blame you one bit, though I thought I would have heard from you before now." Mary Lou's voice was strained.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't intend to hurt you." Stephanie felt awful and a pang of pain shot through her heart at how Mary Lou's must have suffered.

"Steph, I said I understand."

"Okay, but I needed to say it." Stephanie paused and then asked, "Uh, you know about the conversation with Ranger?"

"Yeah, also how Joe demanded you to marry him and when you said no, he broke it off." Mary Lou's voice softened and she said, "_That_ was all over the Burg the next morning along with some other stuff about Joe which really isn't important now."

Stephanie's mouth snapped open and then closed. "You're right. We were done the second I couldn't choose him over, uh, the second I couldn't choose him."

"I know. I was shocked about what Ranger said to you, though." Stephanie clenched her teeth together against the wave of fresh pain the memory caused. "Joe looked for you for a long time, but Steph, I should tell you–"

Stephanie cut her off. "I know about Morelli and Connie. They came to the place where I, um, work. I saw them together and it's okay. I'm really happy for them, especially Connie."

She could hear the relief seep into Mary Lou's tone. "Good. I didn't know how to tell you."

"Okay, so you know Joe wasn't the reason I left Trenton. When he said we were done, I realized he was right and I was relieved." Anticipating Mary Lou's next statement, Stephanie said, "Yes, you also know what else happened before I left. Stellar night for me in the romance department, I finally decide to be true to my heart and it gets ripped out of my chest. I just had to get away. When Lou might have spoken, Stephanie said, "It's fine, Lou. I'm better now."

"At first, we were all excited because Ranger left town that night too. We were hoping the two of you, well – but then when that guy, Lester, showed up the next day asking about you."

Stephanie felt the room start to tilt, so he _had_ looked for her. She wasn't ready to explore those thoughts so she forced herself to speak. "Did Connie ask you to go out to a club tomorrow night?"

"Yes," Mary Lou answered cautiously. "How did you know? Connie never said she saw you."

"Well, she sort of didn't know."

"You were in disguise?"

"Yes, pretty much." She heard Lou take a breath to speak and stopped her again. "Lou, I promise, I'll tell you all of it. Just do this for me. I'll leave instructions with security at the club. After the first band is done, go to the stage doors. Tell them your name and you're there to see Michelle. Sound okay?" Stephanie gushed out.

Lou was silent for a second and then said, "Okay. Uh, I don't – you go by Michelle now?"

"It's a _long_ story, Lou. I promise I'll explain it all, okay?"

"You've got it." Mary Lou let out a small squeal. "I'm so excited to see you!"

"Me, too!" Then Stephanie sobered. "Lou, you have to keep this secret. I want to tell Connie and Lula, but you know they won't be able to keep it quiet."

"I think you underestimate them. They know all about the conversation with Ranger and they haven't told a soul. Connie hasn't even told Joe."

Stephanie sighed and closed her eyes. "I appreciate how hard it must have been for them, but do you honestly think they wouldn't tell people they saw me?"

Lou said nothing while she contemplated the prospect. After a moment, she blew out a breath. "Okay, I know what you mean. I won't tell a soul. So, is this phone how you want us to stay in contact?"

"Yes. You can call me anytime from it. Use up the cards and let me know when you load the last one so I can send more. The minutes only last three months once you activate them, so call me a lot and use them up, 'kay?" Stephanie smiled, she was so happy to finally talk to someone who knew her, really knew her, and still loved her. She felt a part of her shattered heart mend back into place.

"You don't have to do pay for them. I can get cards for it."

"I want to. I'll see you tomorrow night, Lou." Stephanie hesitated a second and said, "Try not to be late. You don't want to miss the first band."

"That's the band Connie wants us to hear, so we'll be there on time. I can't wait to see you!"

"Me, either!"

They disconnected and Stephanie sat on window seat for a few moments with a huge smile on her face, happy her best friend was back in her life. The sound of a throat clearing brought her back to the present and she looked up at Geo.

"Who is Lou?"

"My best friend since we were little girls. I've asked her come back stage tomorrow night so we can chat."

"Sounds like a great idea, Belle. Is she hot and single?" Merc winked.

Stephanie stood and wrapped her arms around him to plant a quick smack on his lips with hers. The year-long exposure to two highly affectionate males made her more comfortable with physical displays of affection than she ever thought possible. The affection may not have been a problem, but when she received an unexpected jolt through her entire system from the contact of Merc's lips on hers, she realized she needed to be on her guard. "Oh, she's hot, but married. Come on, boys. Let's go rehearse."


	9. FW Ch 9

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes._

_A/N: Thanks so much to M and Alf for all the help with the wording and details in this chapter. Thanks to my readers for the continued support and reviews. And please don't worry. :) Also, I'm posting earlier than normal today. It's my husband's birthday and I probably won't be around to post at my normal time._

* * *

Ranger sent a powerful roundhouse kick into the heavy bag Tank held for him and nearly sent the big man onto his back, not to mention the crack from the beam where the heavy bolts secured it in suspension over the mat. With a grumble, Tank got back into position and held it as another powerful kick sailed through the air. Another loud crack sounded and the tired man stood aside, hands on his hips, and stared at his friend. "I think you, me, and the damned bag have had enough."

Ranger ignored him and began to pummel the bag with his fists, then dodged when it swung toward him. He'd been beating on it for the past two hours, throwing kicks, punches, ramming his shoulder into it, and slamming his body against it. "We'll need better supports if it can't handle a little action like this," Ranger growled as he slammed his fist into the center of the solid sack.

As if in surrender to a powerful enemy, the bag crashed down to the floor with a loud _whomp_. The metal bracket, now free from its bolts, swung down and glanced off his shoulder, but Ranger hadn't seemed to notice it or the gash it left behind. An explosion of sand plumed into the air and filtered down over the two men. The angry Cuban man stood and stared at the mess for several minutes and then swung a heavily muscled leg back and kicked the defeated bundle, sending sand flying over the dunes created by the bag's demise.

Tank stared at his wild friend and shook his head. "Better call Brown. That cut needs stiches."

Grabbing a towel, Ranger ignored Tank's statement and swiped at his face to remove the sheen of sand-caked sweat. "Call Luis to fix this," he tossed back at Tank as he headed toward the locker room. The cinder block room echoed as he stripped off and palmed his bottle of gel. He swiped a fresh towel from a shelf stacked full, thanks to Ella, and then strode back to the shower area. He yanked open the glass door, which also threatened to break behind the angry force he'd used. When he stepped inside, he banged the safety glass shut and turned on the water to the hottest tolerable temperature.

Ranger stood under the steamy, hot spray for ages before he squeezed some of the gel into his hand to wash his body and hair. After another long soak beneath the sharp deluge, he turned off the water. He stepped out onto the bath mat and wrapped the towel around his waist, then headed to his locker. Ranger saw Tank against the tall row of metal when he turned the corner and frowned at him. "Did Luis come down to handle bag?"

Tank shook his head and settled an annoyed gaze on Ranger. "It's bad enough you dragged my ass down here at one in the morning. Now you expect me to wake Luis to come fix that dead punching bag in the middle of the goddamned night?" He narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at Ranger. "What's up with you, man?"

Ranger set his arm up against the cold metal and rested his forehead on his forearm. "My life used to have order; I used to be in control." He stood back up and opened the metal catch to swing open the door and pull out fresh clothes. "Now I have nothing. I ended my contract after my last mission."

Tank's eyes widened and he stared at his friend in shock. "You ended it? Just like that?"

Ranger nodded. "My contract expired. They asked if I wanted to re-up, I said no."

Tank shook his head as if to clear it. "You chose the military as a lifelong career."

"I did." Ranger tugged on his black sweats and yanked a black t-shirt on over his head. "It was time."

Realization dawned on Tank and he felt deep remorse for his friend. "You thought you'd come back here and beg Bombshell to listen to you, explain the situation, and then win her over."

A sad smile played on Ranger's lips as he slipped his feet into his trainers and tied the laces. "Yeah, stupid plan. I really thought she'd be back by the time I returned. Guess I was wrong."

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

"…just let me go." Stephanie finished the final line of the song and held the chord. She kept her head down and her heart beat wildly within her. She didn't know if she'd have the strength to stand and walk off the stage to join the rest of the band. They'd completed the set and moved off for her to sing her song alone on the stage with just her acoustic guitar, a soft spotlight, and a microphone. She knew M&G awaited her just off stage right.

Her head rose when the applause began and she nodded her thanks to the audience, unable to speak due to the emotions congested in her heart. She slipped off her stool and carried the guitar off the stage with her. Geo took the instrument from her shaky hands and Merc, with eyes full of emotion she couldn't comprehend, pulled her into a tight embrace and pressed his lips to hers. A fire ignited within her at the contact and the kiss deepened.

Merc lifted his head first, an expression of shock on his face. He slid his hands away from her body and took a step back, cleared his throat, and said, "Belle, you were amazing." Unsure of whether he meant the performance or the kiss, Stephanie gave him a small smile.

"Truly amazing," Geo repeated with a sly grin. Merc cast his brother a dark look and took Stephanie's hand to tug her backstage to the small room they used to dress and prepare for concerts. The three of them walked through the door and Ryan jumped up from the couch and ran over to scoop her up in a fierce hug, then swung her around.

"Awesome job, Chelle." He set her down and gave her a wide grin. "I'll never get tired of your song, babe."

His words washed over her like ice and doused the response Merc had set off within her. She managed a meager smile and allowed Iggy to smack a kiss on her cheek and give her a quick hug before he exited the room. The door opened and closed; she and Merc were left alone in the room. She turned to him with a helpless expression and his eyes softened on her face. "It's hard to remember your aversion to certain nicknames all the time, Belle. Cut him some slack?"

"I know." She took a slow, deep breath and smiled. "He caught me off-guard."

"It's a common nickname for some people, you _will_ have to get used to it at some point." His words weren't unkind, but spoken soft. She knew he was right.

She nodded. "Yeah, you're right. It's just the first time I've heard it in a long time."

He walked over and pulled her into an embrace full of comfort and support. "You deserve better than he gave you. Just remember that." And the emotion he evoked from her earlier filled her again; it was the desire, the need to be held and comforted by a man. His arms tightened and she realized he hadn't been immune to their close contact, either.

She looked up into his face and felt her breath catch. Reflecting back at her was a man offering her openness and honesty, and maybe something she didn't want to acknowledge. "Thanks, Merc."

He nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead to avoid possible smudges to her stage makeup. "Thirsty?"

"You bet."

He took her hand and led her out to the bar for a large glass of ice water with lemon. She'd been so caught up in her own experience, she forgot about Devin Stone-Croft and his attendance. Dodging her hormones was one way to overcome the nerves she'd expect to feel with a talent scout in attendance.

"Any word from the big man?" she asked Geo, who sat beside her at the bar.

"He's still here, it's a good sign." He winked at her.

She grinned and shook her head. "Ever the optimist, Geoff."

He nudged her arm and turned around when he felt hands settle on his shoulders. "Luc, you made it." The two men shared a warm gaze and Lucio squeezed Geo's shoulders in affection.

Stephanie beamed a smile at Geo's boyfriend. "Luc! Good to see you."

"You, darling, were excellent." He wrapped her in a warm hug and kissed the top of her head. "I couldn't keep my eyes off you, you're gorgeous. Expert job with the costume." His eye roved over her ruffled mini skirt in hot pink and black. Beneath it she wore black knee length leggings and knee high black patent leather boots. Above it, she wore a shimmery black camisole with no bra and a fitted, unzipped hot pink leather jacket with three quarter length sleeves. Silver bangles adorned her wrists and large silver hoops dangled from her ears. Tonight, her Cleopatra eyes were silver, black, and fuchsia. She wore fake black lashes adorned by pink crystals which framed eyes enshrouded by amethyst tinted contacts. Her facial stencil was done in metallic silver body paint tonight. Around her neck, she wore a thin, black lace ribbon tight against her skin, but not tight enough to leave a mark.

She laughed. "Thanks. It's loud, but fun."

"Uh-uh, honey. It's fab; you're a true rock star tonight." He leaned down and whispered, "Make up is great, too. Gotta jet, someone wants to meet you." He tilted his head behind him and slipped off into the crowd.

She turned around to greet a couple of college girls and their boyfriends who'd come up to meet the band and ask for autographs, something which still shocked her. Stephanie Plum from Trenton didn't have adoring fans or get requests for autographs. This new life felt surreal, but it was the time of her life and she wouldn't trade it for the world.

After about twenty or so of those surreal experiences, the band went backstage to prepare for their second set. They'd planned for their first song to be Merc's penned tune _Scream the Night Away_, on which he took over lead guitar and Stephanie played rhythm. It was a solo piece, but Stephanie sang a harmony line above in a repeat of his lyrics at times, other times there were 'ahhs' or 'ohs' to accent the phrases. The next song, she played lead and sang backup to _Hero_. They moved through the set and Stephanie and Merc alternated vocal and guitar parts, with Geo occasionally joining in with a second harmony line. The final song, the band's angry metal tune _Drying Up My Soul_, completed the set. Afterward, they mingled again until the bar closed at three. They were stunned to see Stone-Croft had waited to meet with them after the crowd left.

"You have a few minutes to talk?" the industry big wig asked Merc, the clear leader of the band by the way he had directed them during a quick wrap up meeting after the concert on rehearsal times for the next day.

"Not a problem. Ronnie!" he shouted over his shoulder to the bar tender. "Can we have a couple of pitchers and glasses?"

"You got it, Thaddeus."

Stone-Croft raised an eyebrow. "Thaddeus?"

Merc grinned. "Ronnie's known me a long time. We appreciate you staying after, Mr. Stone-Croft."

"Call me Devin. Shall we sit?" Geo and Ryan shoved two square tables together and rounded up the seats. By the time the group sat around the table, Ronnie had set out two pitchers of Stella Artois lager, glasses for everyone, and two bowls of pretzels. He knew the band members were often ravenous after concerts and needed munchies.

"How long have you been together?" Devin asked.

"Well," Merc began, "all the guys here have been together for about four years. Michelle joined in practices a few months ago and had her first performance with us two weeks ago." His hand settled on Stephanie's knee when he mentioned her, but quickly left. Stephanie resisted the urge to rub the spot he'd touched and ignored the hormones humming beneath her skin.

Devin looked at her. "It appears that everyone gets along well. You're the only female in the group, which can potentially make dynamics strained, but it doesn't."

She smiled and looked around at the guys. "Yes, they've accepted me with open arms, my little brothers." Merc nudged her with his shoulder and she flashed a quick grin at him.

"Where did you play before joining?"

Stephanie's eyebrows went up and she sent Merc a nervous glance. Merc slid an arm behind her shoulders and rubbed a hand over her upper back to calm her. "Actually, Michelle had her first guitar lesson about a year ago and we found out she has a real gift with the instrument. Learned faster than I did."

Shock ran through her. She hadn't known he'd thought so much of her ability, though he often praised her. Devin looked a bit surprised as well. "You've only been playing for a year? Play any other instruments?"

"Uh, none. Well, I had piano lessons for a couple of weeks when I was a girl, but nothing solid."

Devin grinned. "You should be proud of yourself; it's quite an accomplishment. I guessed you to be a five-year player by your skill level. Your transition through your chords was flawless and, from what I could tell, you never miss a beat. Your improv is fantastic."

Stephanie had no words in response, but the rest of the band smiled. "We've tried to tell her the same thing for months, Devin," Merc said as he reached his hand up beneath Stephanie's wig to lightly squeeze her neck, which sent a tremor through her entire body. She leaned forward in her seat to disengage his hand, but he left it there for a few seconds longer before finally releasing her.

"Well, I like what I heard and I want you to come to the studio to do a sound test," Devin said with a smile. "You've got a great sound and the music style is popular right now, we're always looking for bands with an edge and you've got it. We'll see what America thinks."

The band members looked around at each other in shock and then huge grins broke out on their faces. "Seriously?" Ryan asked.

Devin nodded with a pleasant smile on his face. "There are a lot of people with good things to say about your band. I've continually heard more and more about you. Let's go over some details and I'll answer any questions you may have."

He began to explain the process of the demo and contract process and what the band should expect. Stephanie tried to focus on what Devin said, but her body had other ideas. Merc had again raised his hand to lightly stroke the bare skin above her camisole and she mentally kicked herself for taking off her jacket when the conversation got underway. From the first moment Devin spoke, Merc had reached out to touch her several times. She knew his touches were brought on by nervousness and excitement, but his absent-minded caresses sent her overactive, underutilized hormones into the next galaxy.

His fingers moved up to trace tiny circles on the nape of her neck and her thoughts took a sharp turn. The hormones she'd carefully tamped down into submission for the past year were awakened and refused to stop. _Okay, he can't keep this up or I'll combust._ It had been too long since she'd had an orgasm and the Hungarian minx was now awakened.

Devin leaned over and handed Merc his business card. "Call my office next week on Tuesday. We'll have a schedule set for the demo."

"Thanks, Devin. We appreciate you coming down to hear us tonight," Merc said as he stood to shake Devin's hand. They all stood with him and Merc's arm slid around Stephanie's waist. Stephanie worked to keep her breathing even, but she fought an uphill battle. When Merc pulled her against his side, she closed her eyes in frustration. She'd worked hard to ignore her libido around him for the past month, ever since his touches had become more frequent. Tonight, every lingering caress of his fingers made it harder and harder to think of him as just a friend. She wondered if he knew what he did to her control.

Devin shook Geo's hand, and then Ryan and Iggy's. He turned to Stephanie, who stepped forward to free herself from Merc's arm, clasped her hand, and brought it up to his mouth in a grand gesture. "Michelle, pleasure to meet such an extraordinary talent; keep it up. A few more years and you'll be unstoppable, if you aren't already."

Stephanie flashed him a friendly smile. "Thank you so much. It was nice to meet you, Devin."

Devin nodded to everyone and left the bar. Geo looked at Merc with eyebrows raised. "Have plans for tonight, bro?"

"I thought about running Michelle to McDonald's since I didn't let her indulge earlier." He sent a grin Stephanie's way and she gave him a quick smile, then averted her gaze from his.

She looked around at the guys and wondered about her sanity when she said, "He's right. He thought it would upset my stomach before the concert."

Geo grinned. "No kidding."

"Shut it, barbell." She'd given him the pet name since he'd gotten his ears pierced and then complained about them endlessly while they healed.

Geo flipped her off and laughed when she scowled at him. "You know I love you, Belle. In fact, I think we all love you – in one way or another." Stephanie didn't miss his pause and now she began to panic.

Ryan and Iggy moved toward the bar's entrance. "We gotta drive home, see you tomorrow," Iggy said. Geo called out to Ryan to hold up and asked him about a cable he needed for the keyboard.

Left alone with Merc, Stephanie rubbed her hands together and then pulled on her jacket. Since the excitement of the meeting wore down, she noticed the chill in the room. "I didn't realize it was so cold in here."

Merc smiled draped an arm over her neck. "Ready for dinner?"

She looked up and got caught in a sea of gold. "Uh–"

Merc's gaze grew intense and he leaned forward and brushed his lips over her nose. "You know, food? Nourishment?"

She nodded and cleared her throat. "Why do I feel a little set up?"

Merc caught his lower lip between his teeth in thought. "Well, I think you feel set up because I think we were just set up." He laughed lightly.

She smiled up at him and shook her head. "But why?"

"I think my brother is trying to play matchmaker."

Her brow furrowed. "Matchmaker?" She touched her index finger to the center of his chest and then her own. "You mean, um, _us_?"

Merc looked around. "Do you see anyone else?"

Stephanie grinned. "No, smart ass. Why would he do that?" Her voice grew hoarse as she spoke. His eyes had gone from bright gold to deep bronze in the space of a second. "Oh."

Merc shook his head as if to clear it. "I'm sorry, Belle. I think he just knows things about me I haven't – I hadn't planned to admit to myself, let alone you. Kinda hard to hide from a twin; he can practically read my mind."

"I know what you mean," she murmured. Her breath froze in her lungs when he took a tiny step forward, his eyes staring into hers intently.

"You see, I have a problem and I think," his hands cupped her waist and brought her a step closer, "you have the same problem."

"Problem?" She tried to swallow, but for some reason her throat ceased to work. Her lungs hiccupped and, for some reason, now her legs felt like rubber.

"Yeah," he took the last little step and enfolded her in his long, muscular arms. "This." Then he bent his head down and claimed her lips in a sweet, gentle kiss. The cold forgotten, heat swept through Stephanie's body and lit several small fires in strategic places. He tightened his arms and pressed her against his hard body. He slowly straightened until he stood with her clasped against his chest.

He kept his kisses light, waiting, asking permission. In a daze, and completely overwhelmed by sensation, Stephanie gave a small moan and opened her mouth to him. His tongue made a tentative sweep inside to taste her. When electric heat zinged through her body, she lifted her hands and buried them in his hair. "Thad," she moaned into his mouth.

He turned around and set her on a bar stool, then trailed his hands over her arms, shoulders, and down her back to settle on top of her thighs. His fingertips splayed up over her hips and onto the outer curve of her behind. Stephanie tugged on his hair in a request to deepen the kiss. He complied and tilted his head to the side to plunge his tongue into her mouth.

She spread her legs and gripped his thighs with hers. Spurred on by her action, he stepped forward between her legs and reached his hands up to push her jacket off her body. It fell with a smack to the tile floor and his hands roved over her back, kneading her muscles and rubbing over her thin, silky top.

He broke the kiss and pulled back to look into her eyes. "I wish I could see your real eyes right now, Belle," he whispered. She'd forgotten about the tinted contacts and lowered her lashes. "No worries, even with the barrier, I can see how dark they are. Kissing you is more intoxicating than I imagined." He leaned down and trailed soft, tiny kisses down the side of her neck.

Stephanie moaned and arched her back, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, tugging him against her and his hands slid up her front to rest just beneath her breasts. He didn't move any higher and didn't kiss lower than her neck. She sensed he'd go no further without permission.

She tightened the grip of her thighs and he moved his hands to her shoulders and slipped his fingers under the thin strap of her camisole. The warmth of his skin on her bare shoulder caused her heart to teeter on the sharp precipice between staying true to who she loved and the desire for this man building within her. A sudden chill engulfed her body and she brought her eyes open in time to see Merc stumbling three steps back. Stephanie gasped a deep breath into her lungs and tried to sort through the confusion that crowded inside her head.

"Belle, I didn't mean for this to happen so fast." He labored for each breath and Stephanie stared at him. "Don't look at me like that, sweetie. I just think maybe we need to talk about this. A lot."

She blew out a breath and worked to regain her composure. "Okay. Uh, I'm still hungry."

"It might be best if you phrased that differently right now." Merc's words sounded like he was in pain and, from his posture, it was a safe bet things were a little tight below the belt.

"How about we hit McDonald's Drive-Thru now?"

He gave her a half smile. "I think it's a very good idea." He held out his hand and she took it. Her purse sat on the table where she'd kept it during the chat with Devin. She went to retrieve it while he grabbed her jacket from the floor. She reapplied her pink lip gloss and then slid her arms into the jacket he held up for her. "Do I look like I just got kissed senseless?" she asked.

Merc winced good-naturedly. "Yes. Do I have any of your lip gloss on my lips?" She laughed and reached up to rub her thumb over his lips. He grabbed her wrist and kissed the pad of her thumb, then released her. "We need to leave right now." He tugged her out of the bar and she trailed behind, her mind whirling with thoughts about the kisses they'd shared. One word came to mind: _Shit_.


	10. Fw Ch 10

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes._

_A/N: Thank you again to my readers. The last chapter felt like a huge risk and I appreciate the responses I got from some of you. This chapter will explain some things and start the ball rolling toward the end. Thanks so much for your continued support._

_Also thanks to M for sticking with me through major edits and changes I made to this chapter and to Alf for the unique way you make me think about what my characters are saying, and also for taking the time to go through this chapter despite your full schedule. I greatly appreciate it, ladies._

* * *

Tank sat in the guest chair at Ranger's desk. Ranger had Stephanie's file in front of him on the desktop as he poured through the contents. Tank knew the perusal wasn't an act of mistrust as much as a means to feed his troubled mind. "Granger had a good lead here," Ranger murmured while reading the page Tank could almost recite by heart.

"Sure he did, until the woman turned out _not_ to be Stephanie." Tank rubbed his eyes. It was four in the morning and he wasn't in the mood to humor Ranger's anal retentive personality. "We have been through every lead. They're all dead ends; none of them play out."

Ranger looked up at him briefly and Tank could see the fatigue and sadness in his friend's eyes. "I have to find her."

"Yeah? Do you have a plan for what you'll do if you find her?"

Ranger stared at him for a full thirty seconds. It was apparent he hadn't considered the 'after' part one bit. He pursed his lips forward a fraction of a second before he said, "Beg."

Tank shook his head. "Great plan, but you've been home almost two months and haven't stopped since you got back. You won't find her going about it this way." He stood and loomed over the hardened soldier who had been reduced to a sulking, pathetic shell of his former self. "If I have to get Brown up here to sedate you, I will. No," he said, changing his mind, "I'll just knock out your sorry ass myself." Ranger's expression darkened and he looked back down at the file, his version of a dismissal. Tank, out of sheer frustration, grabbed the file from his hands and flung it across the room. Papers shot into the air and then floated down, weaving back and forth, on their way to blanket the floor. "Go to bed, Ricardo. You're no good to her or anyone else like this. Rest. Start again tomorrow. That's an order!"

"_You_. Don't. Order. _Me_. Around." Ranger stood as he spit out the angry words. "Get out of my office and go to bed yourself if you're tired. Pick up the file before you leave."

Tank glared at his friend for a second, then left the office. He'd catch hell from Ranger for the file, but he had more important issues on his mind. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Brown, who was on duty in the monitor room. "Yo. Meet me in my office." He snapped his phone closed and tromped into his office.

Bobby joined him minutes later and closed the door behind him. "What's up?"

"I need you to sedate Ranger."

"No fucking way. Come up with a different plan." Bobby crossed his arms and stared Tank down. "I like my fingers and toes _un_broken. What's the matter with you? Give him time; he'll learn to deal with it. We did."

Tank glared at Bobby. "He needs to sleep, he won't do it."

"Find another way, Tank. I'm not doing it. Not only could it shorten my lifespan, but an attempt to stick a struggling man can cause the needle to break off and I don't want that responsibility on my head, either."

"We can hold him down–"

Bobby held up a hand and cut off Tank's statement. "I said find another way. Get creative. There has to be someone he doesn't argue with, someone who has enough power to make him listen."

The larger man sighed and suddenly felt like breaking fingers and toes himself. "Stephanie was the only one with that kind of power."

Bobby reached up a hand to stroke his chin thoughtfully. "I don't buy it. She can't be the _only_ one. There has to be at least one other person he doesn't want to piss off, a person he can't tell no."

At that, Tank's eyes brightened. "Right." He picked up the handset to the phone on his desk and dialed nine for an outside line, then dialed a number he knew by heart. "Yo." There was silence as he listened to the other party. "Yeah. Hey, I called because Ric is out of control and I need reinforcements." His comment was followed by another brief interlude. "That's why I called." A short pause. "Thanks, I owe you."

Bobby watched Tank rest the handset back in its cradle. "What was that all about?"

"I did what you said, called in some muscle."

"I'm not injecting him." Bobby's voice betrayed his annoyance.

"Not needed."

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Stephanie practically inhaled her meal. If she hurried, she'd be done before Merc finished his shower. Then she could run to her room, lock the door, jump into bed, and spend the rest of the night denying the wild, crazy, sexy, wonderful make out session with Merc hadn't taken place. Nope, never happened, and no one would make her admit it. It had been a normal night. They played their two sets, had the meeting, went out for dinner, came home, and went to their rooms. End of story.

She tipped the French fry carton into her mouth and crunched the last little bits from the bottom. As she stood and made her way to the trash can, she slurped the remainder of her Coke, and tossed her trash into the bin. Three steps from her door, she heard Merc's sultry voice ask, "Belle?" She stopped cold, closed her eyes, and counted to five.

When she turned around, she found Merc leaning against the door frame to his room with an amused expression on his face. "Running away?"

"Me?" She stretched and feigned a huge yawn. "No way. Just tired. Need some sleep. See you in the morning."

"Stop."

She froze mid-step and eased her body back around to face him. "Yes?"

He walked over to her and she forced herself not to look at his bare chest. It was just a chest. She'd seen it many times. Nothing had changed; it was still the same chest – with pebbled nipples and the memory of hers pressed against it. Mental head slap. Why, why, why did she do these things to herself?

She forced her eyes up from where they'd settled at the waistband of his athletic pants and met the coppery depths of his eyes. Unable to tear her gaze away, she felt drawn to him by an invisible cord. They stood in front of each other with no physical contact, but their bodies felt connected regardless.

When they got home from McDonald's, she'd removed her contacts and washed her face before she ate. Now she regretted her hasty decision. As the seconds ticked by, his eyes grew warmer, hotter, more intense. If she didn't step back–

Too late, she saw his hands come up to frame her face. "Stephanie," he whispered, "what am I going to do about you?" His fingers slipped back into her hair to cup her head and his thumbs stroked along either side of her jaw. "I can't kiss you anymore."

"No," she whispered to him. Neither was sure if her no meant 'don't stop' or 'you're right'. It no longer mattered. He held her head steady while his mouth descended onto hers. Suddenly, Stephanie was at the same place she'd been back in the bar with him: hot and needy.

Without the barrier of her jacket, his hands felt like hot irons when they lowered to roam up and down her back. His fingers trailed over the waistband of her skirt and all cognitive thought ceased; from that point, she could only feel. With a moan, she molded her hands to his sculpted chest and fanned her fingers out over his hard pecs. Her thumbs flicked over his firm nipples and he gave a low growl, then lowered his hands to splay over the upper curve of her firm buttocks.

She gasped into his mouth and he groaned. He dragged his teeth lightly over her bottom lip and sucked it into his mouth to nibble and taste her fullness. Their tongues met, teeth scraped, and lips brushed. She raked her nails down his chest and his hands squeezed her flesh to pull her body tight against his.

Stephanie dropped her head back on a low moan and he gently bit his way down her neck, then stroked his tongue against her pulse point. She slid her hands up his chest and neck to grab his hair roughly and arched her neck back further.

He murmured, "Belle" against her hammering pulse and pressed her back to the wall. She cried out and arched her back when his teeth closed over her pulse point. His arm slipped around her waist to hold her steady while he traced his fingertips over the spaghetti strap of her camisole.

"Perfect," he rasped and lifted his head to kiss her deeply. His hands molded to her waist and he firmly massaged his way to the sides of her breasts. Once there, his thumbs lightly stroked up and down the soft flesh peeking out the side of her camisole, not quite touching her breast and not quite _not_ touching it, either.

The feel of his rough pads against her sensitive skin nearly sent her through the ceiling. Stephanie's response began as a frozen breath, and then she gasped in a barely audible sound, but it broke the spell. He released her and snapped his head up, ripping his hair from her hands with the motion. His eyes pierced into hers as he caught his breath. "No," she groaned softly. "No."

"Belle, shhh." He rested his forehead against hers and released a sigh. "We have to stop. I meant what I said earlier. We have to talk about this." He kissed her forehead. Stephanie crossed her arms over her breasts to hide her protruding nipples. "I meant to just talk, I didn't mean to–"

"Would you stop apologizing?" she groaned in frustration. "Please, Merc. If you want to talk, talk." She tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling while trying to catch her breath.

"Hey, this is me. Don't be upset, I'm not rejecting you, just the opposite. I know if we continue, I won't be able to give you up and I don't think that would be wise without you settling your heart." He compressed his lips at her refusal to look at him and released a sigh when she stomped toward the couch. He said softly, "Belle."

Stephanie slowed her steps and stopped to turn around. With regret in her eyes she met his. "I know. I'm not angry with you, I'm – angry with myself. Ugh!" she growled. "I want it, Merc. Sex. With you. So bad I was ready to disregard the consequences." She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "But at the same time, I can't be that person."

He walked across the room to her. "I know." He held out his arms and she stepped into them to accept his hug. "This is why we need to talk."

She nodded against his chest. "Okay." She pulled back and sat on the couch. He followed her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Her arms went around his waist and she cuddled into his chest. This was familiar territory.

"You know I love you; and because I love you, I want to give you a chance to be who you need to be." She raised her head to look at him in confusion. "Belle, I don't want to put limits on you. We're in a band together now, but you could take over the world tomorrow. Devin wasn't kidding when he said you're impressive."

"Are you implying I'll be kicked out or leave the band? That someone will stroke my ego and I'll think I'm too good for you?"

He smiled. "I'm saying that, in this business, nothing lasts forever. You have potential to do anything, be anything – go anywhere. Beyond that, you have such a capacity for love, Stephanie. You open up your heart so readily to those around you." He gave her a squeeze. "You think we opened up to you, but it was you who accepted us as we were."

"I think we give each other what we need," she said quietly.

"I agree." He nodded his head for a few seconds and remained silent for a couple of minutes. "I don't want us to mistake deep affection and mutual attraction for something less than what I think we're both looking for in our lives. I could feel that for you easily, but I think you have to deal with your past."

Her breath hitched in her throat and she felt her eyes grow moist. "I do."

"Yes. This is about you, all of this: your music, your love, your hurt. You've avoided your feelings and the problems that made you run away for the past year. You barely talk about what happened. As much as I don't want to think about it, much less point it out, you still love Ranger."

"What?"

"It seems like you live in the shadow of what he said to you. Of how much you think that statement makes you worth. It's not fair to you or those who love you. You're stuck in that spot; you've not moved forward." He hugged her tighter. "I want one-hundred percent; you want to give one-hundred percent, but ask yourself: who do you want to give it to? We make the wrong choice, we both pay later."

Stephanie closed her eyes and tightened her arms around his waist. She knew he was right, he often saw through her evasive measures. She didn't want to face her past, think about Ranger, or make any decisions; she wanted her life to simply move on and hopefully end up in a place where she was happy.

"I sense a little frustration."

"I don't want to do it, Merc. He tossed me away. Why should I think about him?" She blew out a breath and squeezed her eyes shut tight.

"Stephanie, tell me you're not still in love with him." His voice was quiet, so quiet she wouldn't have heard him if his mouth wasn't against her ear.

"I don't love–" She couldn't say it. "I'm trying not to love him." She felt him nod against her head and the dam broke. Tears, hot and heavy, fell down her cheeks. "I loved him – love him. Forever, it feels. I always knew he could be c-cold, even mean, but he was _never_ that way to me, except that once – and I can't seem to let it go." Her heart broke all over again, or maybe it finally bled the way she hadn't allowed, the way she needed.

He held her while she cried and spoke fractured words of loss and pain. Little by little, she allowed the tears to rid her heart of the bitterness and anger she'd stored. "I wanted to dull my pain," she moaned, "but you would have suffered for it in the long run."

"Shh," he kissed the top of her head, "I know, sweetie. I know, and I'm just as guilty. The truth is, if you ever decided you could give yourself to me, I'm yours." He kissed her forehead and brushed the hair from her eyes. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep away tonight, though; I should have."

"Sorry? You've been nothing but wonderful to me." She cupped his cheek with her hand. "You deserve so much more than I've given you."

He set her away from him a little. "Hey, you've given me as much as you can give, maybe more than you should have." He tapped her nose with his index finger. "And I'm still thankful for your friendship; no worries, Belle. You're still my best girl." They smiled at each other.

"You call me a girl; I'm five years older than you, kid," she said.

He gave her a quick kiss and stood. "I think I need a shower."

"You just took a shower."

"I know," he said and winked. She watched as he walked back to his room. He stopped and turned back. "Want to go out for brunch in the morning?"

"Yeah, where?"

"New place I want to show you. Fatty, cholesterol-packed food. Promise." He grinned.

"It's a date," she said as she stood to go to her room for a shower and sleep. The cry had been good for her. Somehow her long-buried Ranger feelings had been unearthed and, even though she still loved him, she felt the path open up for her to disentangle herself from him so she could move forward. _One step at a time_.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Loud banging on her door woke her. She cracked open an eye and looked at the alarm clock. Eleven. _Ugh_. She'd gone to bed after five. Six hours was not enough sleep. "What?" she croaked.

"Brunch!" Merc yelled from the other side. "Get up or I'll come in and torture you awake."

"It's too early!"

"It's brunch. Come on, Belle. We'll take my new car; I haven't had a chance to show it to you." From the mumbled sound of his voice, she could tell he pressed his mouth into the crack of her door. She smiled. She _did_ love his antics. "Five minutes. Put your hair up, throw on sweats, and get your ass out here or I _will _spank it."

"Slave driver!" she yelled, but she was smiling. Things were normal and she was thrilled. She rolled out of her bed and went over to her dresser to pull on a bra, underwear, t-shirt, running pants, and matching jacket. On her way out, she stopped in the bathroom to pull her hair into a ponytail and swiped on a coat of mascara. She realized she forgot socks and ran over to grab them from her sock drawer.

When she opened the door, Merc stood there with a raised fist ready to pound on the door again. "Cutting it close, Plum."

She flipped him off and ran away with a shriek when he bent to smack her ass. He grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder, then strode to the door. "Stop! I don't have my shoes or my wig!"

"No more hiding, Stephanie," he said. He stopped by the door and waited.

She thought about it with her head hanging down against his back. No more hiding? No more hiding. "Shit. I hate you right now."

He chuckled. "No you don't. No more hiding, Belle."

"Fine. Can I at least have shoes and my sunglasses??"

Two minutes later, with shoes and sunglasses added to her outfit, she walked down the hallway to the elevator, hand in hand, with Merc. "Good job, Belle." His eyes roamed over her wig-free head.

She shook her head. "Okay, I am not hiding, but I'm not announcing my presence, either."

"It's all I ask. Just let things happen. If he's meant to find you, he will."

She nudged his side with her elbow. The elevator arrived on the ground floor and they held hands through the lobby and out the front doors. "You know, Merc. When we move to a condo, you're going to miss all this star treatment you boys get here at the hotel."

"Nah, I think I'd like to see how the other half lives." He winked.

She snorted. "Come to Trenton and stay three months with me trying to make ends meet as a bond enforcement agent."

"I think that would be fun. Can you promise I wouldn't get shot?"

"No."

"Hmm, I'll think it over."

"Shut up."

"Here's my car," he said.

Stephanie groaned as the silver Porsche Cayenne pulled up. She had never mentioned what cars Ranger drove and knew he hadn't bought it to make a point, but it still had her mind reeling.

"Is something wrong?" He put a hand on her shoulder, his face full of concern. "Belle?"

She shook her head, removing her eyes from the car and forcing down her pain. "Sorry, it just reminded me of something."

"The Cayenne?"

"Yeah," she said as she allowed him to help her in and buckled the seatbelt for herself, "the Cayenne." When Merc pulled out onto the road, Stephanie watched the scenery flash by and remained silent, brooding.

Something inside her felt a huge amount of anticipation as they neared the restaurant. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was as if she'd been waiting to go to the place all her life. Stephanie shook her head to rid her mind of the crazy thoughts, but the feeling didn't go away.

She didn't notice when the car stopped and Merc sat studying her for a minute before he gently reached over to touch her arm. She turned her head to look at him and he saw the raw pain in her eyes and it drove the breath from his lungs as if she'd sucker punched him. "What happened? What's wrong?"

She cleared her head by giving it a small shake and smiled up at him, her eyes still a little sad, "Nothing we have time to go over right now. Besides, I'm really starving." She grinned at his expression when her stomach seconded her statement.

"Food it is, then. But Belle?" She stopped in the midst of opening her door and looked at him. "We'll talk about this later, right?"

Unable to speak, she nodded and pushed herself out of the car, collecting herself as she waited for him to round the back of the car. "What kind of place is this?"

"Ah, it's a little of everything. Lucio loves it. He and Geo come here all the time, and also his cousin when he's in town. I've joined them a few times. I thought you might like it." He took her hand and led her to the front door.

Stephanie grinned at him. "Sounds good." The twinge inside her chest grew stronger when the door opened and she began to have trouble breathing. Merc stopped short of walking through the door, looked at her, and rested a concerned hand on her upper arm.

"Belle! What's wrong?" She looked up at him and pressed a hand to her sternum. "Do you need a hospital? Are you sick?"

Stephanie shook her head. "Chest is tight. Hard to breathe."

"Maybe I should take you home so you can lie down." Stephanie shook her head adamantly. "Do you get anxiety attacks?" Merc hands rested lightly on her shoulders and he peered into her eyes, studying her.

She tugged in a slow breath and held it for a second. After drawing in a second slow breath, she looked up at him. "No, at least, none that weren't induced by a dead body." He quirked a brow at the statement, but didn't question her on it. "I'll be fine. Maybe I'm just hungrier than I thought?"

"Maybe." He looked uncertain.

"Come on, feed me and everything will be fine." She tried to give him a reassuring smile.

"Yes, ma'am." Merc held out his arm to escort her inside the restaurant. "But I'm taking you home for a nice long nap afterwards."

The hostess approached with a bright smile that faded slightly when she saw Stephanie hanging on Merc's arm. "Hi Merc! Awesome set last night," she gushed. Her eyes took in Stephanie for a split second before recognition hit them. "You were great last night, too!"

Stephanie was glad for the sunglasses that hid her shocked look. She hadn't thought she looked anything like Michelle Belle out of costume. Guess she'd been wrong.

The hostess turned back to Merc, "Lucio and mystery man are in the back. You joining them today?"

Merc looked at Stephanie and she nodded. "Sure. Thanks, Mandy." He flashed a bright smile and led Stephanie past the hostess podium toward the back of the restaurant. "She has a little crush on me, but she's too young."

Stephanie tilted her head down and slid her sunglasses down her nose to fix her gaze on him. "Too young for whom?"

He grinned and shook his head. "Trying to fix me up now?"

"She's cute," Stephanie said and slid her glasses up to rest on top of her head. She considered Mandy's adoring, light hazel eyes and her slim, curvy figure. "And she has red hair, your favorite."

"You're something else, Belle." He squeezed her hand with an easy smile on his face and Stephanie matched it.

"Thought you already figured that out." They rounded the corner and saw Lucio, who had just caught a glimpse of them and had a wide smile on his face.

"Belle! Merc!" Lucio called out and rose from his seat. He rushed over to them and did his kiss, kiss, hug thing. Stephanie's nostrils tingled with a familiar scent and wondered when Luc had started to use Bvlgari. "Perfect timing. My cousin met me for breakfast this morning. Come, come. Meet."

He turned around and sashayed back to the booth where the other occupant, dressed in head to toe black, sat with his back against the wall. A split second later, Lucio's 'cousin' turned his head and fixed Stephanie and Merc with a shocked stare.

Stephanie stopped abruptly and her jaw dropped nearly to the floor. Ranger rose from his seat and whispered, "Stephanie."

The air around her seemed to turn to water and none would enter her lungs. Stephanie felt herself sinking toward the floor. Merc slipped an arm around her waist and shook her gently. She saw his mouth move, but didn't hear his words. Suddenly, he shoved her toward the booth and forced her to sit at the edge of the bench seat. Her head was thrust between her knees and she felt Merc's nimble fingers kneading their way down her back and up again.

Soon, she heard Merc's soothing voice and she drug in a huge gulp of air. Denial, always her best friend in turmoil, told her she'd imagined the man; she really didn't know the person who stood behind Merc with his fists clenched. Unfortunately for denial, her conscious mind caught another whiff of Bvlgari and her body thrummed with energy directed toward the powerful presence too close to her. _Shit!_ When she'd agreed with Merc that if Ranger was meant to find her he would find her, she hadn't meant _today_.

Merc continued to stroke Stephanie's back and then looked up at Luc. "She had a really long night. We didn't get to sleep until after five; she needs to eat fast."

"Sure thing, honey. Belle, sweetie, sit up in the booth and I'll get some coffee for you. Oh, there's our waitress. Christie! Could you bring two more cuppas, honey? You're a _gem_. _Thank_ you." Stephanie would have smiled if she hadn't been in full panic mode.

Just to make sure she hadn't seen a ghost, Stephanie slowly raised her head, her eyes tracking up the full length of Ranger's body. When she reached his face, her breath hitched again. He was staring at her with a look of disbelief.

_No, no, no!_


	11. FW Ch 11

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes._

_A/N: Thanks to my betas, M and Alf, for making me keep my characters in character. To my readers: I am so overwhelmed by the response to last week's chapter. I appreciate all of your support week after week. Thank you so much. We're on the downward slope, now; not too much longer!_

* * *

"You two know each other?" Lucio asked as his eyes flicked from Ranger to Stephanie, who kept their eyes locked on each other. An awkward silence fell over the group since neither Ranger nor Stephanie answered. They simply stared at each other, unmoving and unspeaking. The only movement was the way Stephanie's eyes narrowed as they roamed over Ranger's face.

Lucio motioned the other two men to the table where Stephanie still sat perched at the edge of the bench seat. "Why don't we all sit and–"

"Stephanie," Ranger said her name again in a bewildered tone. He'd almost turned down Luc for breakfast this morning, but had felt a pull to be here he didn't understand until the moment he saw her approach the table. His heart had begun a heavy thud in that second and showed no sign of settling.

Stephanie licked her suddenly dry lips and looked up at Merc in panic. "I can't do this," she whispered. The pain of seeing Ranger again slammed through her body and held her immobile. _How could he be here?_ What were the odds? And Merc had even met him before!

Merc leaned down and placed his mouth close to her ear. "The Babe guy?" Stephanie nodded. "Fuck, I had no idea. Sorry, Belle. Whenever we met, he said his name was Carlos."

Stephanie nodded again with her hands in her lap, not chancing another look at Ranger until she could control her breathing. "It is."

"You should talk to him." Stephanie jerked her head back and looked at Merc with wide eyes. Merc sighed and looked at the two men by the booth. "Could you excuse us for a minute?"

"Sure, hon. We'll sip this excellent coffee." Lucio sat and picked up his cup. Ranger still stood where he was, an unmovable wall, his eyes never moved or blinked.

"Ah, we'll be right back." Merc held up a finger to indicate one moment, and gently took Stephanie's elbow to ease her to her feet and steer her to the back hallway where the bathrooms were located. "Belle, you have to talk to him for this reason alone." He gestured to her shaking form.

"I can't. I'm not ready," she gasped.

"It's been over a year. How much time do you need?" He crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side. "Would things be any different than they are now if he turned you down again?"

Stephanie thought about it. He had already sent her away once; he couldn't push her any further away. The only thing he could do was destroy any hope she secretly clung to by rejecting her, or worse, by acting indifferent toward her.

The second the thought crossed her mind, Stephanie realized why she had run away. It wasn't to stay away from Ranger or hide from the Burg. She didn't want to face Ranger because she wanted to keep that one small piece of hope in her heart that he hadn't meant what he said and he really _did_ love her. That night had never felt real to her. If he said it again, it would become real, so real she was sure she wouldn't recover. "He might say it again."

Merc pulled her into his arms and gave her a tight squeeze. "You never really gave up on him, did you?"

Stephanie shook her head and clung to him. She wanted something to drive the fear away, to make her heart stop racing. She suddenly sensed they weren't alone and raised her head. Ranger stood at the hall entrance, his eyes glued to her.

Merc disentangled from her and said, "Belle, go have a seat. I think _Carlos_ and I should talk."

Stephanie gave Merc the 'are you out of your mind' look, but he squeezed her shoulder and tilted his head toward the dining room. She nodded and walked toward Ranger. He raised a hand up to her arm, but lowered it again when she halted her steps. Gauging her reaction, he turned his body to the side so she could pass and kept his eyes on her until she walked out of his field of vision.

Merc watched her walk away with slow, stiff steps, and had a sudden thought. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Lucio. "Don't let her leave. She might try to run." He hung up, crossed his arms over his chest, and centered his full attention on Ranger.

Ranger lessened the distance between them to stand and face Merc, matching his stance. Merc stared for a moment and opened his mouth to speak, when Ranger beat him to the punch. "You know how she thinks." It wasn't a question.

Merc nodded. "I do."

The two men fell silent again for a moment. A woman and her young daughter came down the hall and skirted past the two men. Merc blew out a breath. "I'm just going to say what I have to say." Ranger inclined his head slightly and Merc continued, "I don't know if I've ever met anyone as stupid as you."

Ranger raised an eyebrow, but his hard expression never changed.

"Did you mean what you said to her that night?" Ranger said nothing and didn't blink. Merc tried to wait him out, but the desire to comfort Stephanie cut his patience short. "Great, pointless conversation. See you at the table."

Merc made to step around Ranger when the badass finally opened his mouth. "No."

"No? Excuse me. Was that 'no' you can't leave; or 'no' you didn't mean it? I'm confused."

Ranger uncrossed his arms and shoved his hands into his front pockets. "No, I didn't mean it. I said it, but it was a lie."

"Okay," Merc said slowly. "If you didn't mean it, then you understand what you did to her." An expression crossed Ranger's eyes Merc couldn't adequately identify, but it was enough to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Where has she been?"

Merc shook his head. "Sorry. That's need to know. If she wants you to know, she'll tell you herself."

"You didn't talk about her the last few times we met. How long have you known her?" Ranger slipped his hands from his pockets and took a step closer to Merc. The bathroom door swung open and Ranger stopped his advance and stepped back with his fists clenched at his sides. The mother scurried past with her daughter in tow and Ranger's hard stare settled on Merc's face.

"Not gonna work man. You want answers to your questions, ask the lady. From this point on, it's Belle's decision."

Ranger looked like he wanted to argue, but then settled for, "Fair enough."

"Glad we had this little talk. I'm hungry, let's eat." Ranger inclined his head and Merc walked past him into the dining room. He found Stephanie seated in the booth against the wall, blocked in by Lucio, who stood to let Merc take his place when the two men returned to the table. Stephanie had a scowl on her face and sent a glare toward Merc. "Sorry, Belle."

She made a noncommittal noise and took a sip of her coffee. "I ordered for you."

"And I ordered for you," Lucio looked at Ranger, then moved to slide into the bench seat first, but stopped when Ranger's hand clamped down on his shoulder. Lucio looked up in surprise, "You never sit on the inside."

"Today's different." Ranger tipped his head to the side.

"Guess so." Lucio stood aside to let Ranger in.

Ranger slid over toward the wall until he sat face to face with Stephanie, and folded his hands on the tabletop. His eyes rested on her, drinking in the sight of her, and waiting for her to raise her eyes to his. When she didn't, he took a slow breath and said, "How are you, Stephanie?"

Stephanie cast him a sidelong glance, not quite able to meet his eyes. "Good. You?"

"Terrible."

His response caused her to involuntarily meet his eyes. "You look good, what's the problem?" Except he didn't look the good. His eyes were etched with fatigue and he'd lost weight; he looked older, more – approachable.

Ranger stared at her for a few seconds, then looked over at Lucio and Merc. "Can you give us some privacy?"

Merc's arm went around Stephanie's shoulders when she tensed up. He leaned down to whisper, "Belle, you need to do this, for you."

Stephanie saw Ranger's brow furrow slightly at Merc's statement, but then he recovered his neutral expression. She leaned into Merc and accepted his support to bolster her strength. "Okay, you're right."

Merc turned around in his seat and caught the attention of the waitress. She held up a finger and bustled over. "What can I do for you?"

"Mands. You think you can hook me and Luc here up with a new table?"

Her eyes wandered over the table's occupants, but her smile never wavered. "No problem, come with me." Lucio stood to follow the waitress, and Merc turned to leave, but Stephanie gripped his arm.

"Belle, I'll be right over there. You can yell for me if you need me." He gave her an encouraging smile and stroked her cheek. "Remember who you are." She nodded and he kissed her forehead, spared Ranger a warning look, and then stood to join Lucio.

Ranger watched Stephanie as her eyes followed Merc over to his table. She stared at him so long, Ranger felt the first tendrils of panic well up within him. "You two seem close."

Stephanie nodded, but didn't look away from Merc. "We are close. In some ways, I'm closer to him than anyone else I've ever known." The conviction in her voice startled her.

His eyes narrowed slightly from the sincerity of her words, and also to hide the shock he felt inside. He wrestled with his emotions and struggled for the right words to say. Here she was before him, over a year since he'd seen her, and he didn't have a game plan. Tank had been right. He'd been so obsessed with finding her, that he'd forgotten the most important part: how to explain why he'd lied to her that night and win her back, if that was still possible.

Stephanie turned back until her shoulders were square with his, but wouldn't look at him. Instead, she fiddled with the fork on the table and bit her lip. He waited a few moments for her to look up, but she didn't appear to be in a hurry. Slowly, he covered her hand with his to still her movement.

Stephanie felt his heat penetrate her flesh and slipped her hand from beneath his. She reluctantly raised her eyes to connect with his. The emotion blazing in their depths stilled her breathing. She tried to think of something to say when he spoke again.

"I looked for you when I got back." His voice was quiet, slightly hoarse and not as liquid smooth as she remembered.

His words surprised her. She blinked and asked in an unsteady tone, "Got back?"

"Two months ago. Tank and the guys have been searching for you since that night." He paused briefly, then continued, "Where have you been?" He threaded his fingers together and rested them on the table, his dark eyes unrelenting.

"Wait a minute. You were gone a year?" Suddenly the pieces of Mary Lou's conversation made sense. Ranger left that night, people thought they'd run off together. _Oh God, for how long? But he just got back two months ago?_ Stephanie's brow furrowed. Just where had he been and why had he left?

He nodded. "Got called up twenty minutes before you came over that night."

"You were getting ready to leave." He nodded again. She clamped her teeth together and gave an angry shake of her head. He hadn't had the decency to tell her he was leaving. Once again, he proved she wasn't important enough to let into his life. Her cheeks burned with temper and her voice was stiff when she asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Ranger blew out a slow breath and blinked once. "That's what we need to discuss."

Stephanie held up her hands. "Nope, not now. I'm not ready." He made a move to say something and she shook her head. "I mean it. If I'm ever ready, I'll let you know, but it certainly wouldn't be today."

"Okay," he conceded. The last thing he wanted to do was further alienate her. Hell, he'd just found her and didn't want to scare her into hiding again. Merc would be no help; he was Stephanie's guard dog. "Thaddeus seems protective of you."

Stephanie blinked, not ready for the quick change of subject. "What?"

Ranger nodded his forehead in Merc's direction. "He hasn't stopped staring at us since he left the table." _Not to mention the fact that he had his hands all over you._

A smile that nearly stopped his heart spread across her face and she turned her face to meet Merc's eyes. "He is protective. You know, he's treated me like an equal since day one."

Ranger looked like he thought about wincing; Stephanie couldn't be sure. "How long have you been together?"

Another blink from Stephanie followed his question. "Uh, a while." The waitress brought the food and Stephanie doused her pancakes with syrup and cut off a huge bite, which she promptly shoved into her mouth. "Actually, I met him the night I left Trenton." She licked the syrup from her lips.

Though he kept his face blank, the air left Ranger's lungs. He'd sent her away for the second time in their relationship, and somehow, she'd immediately found a replacement. Not only was he replaced, but by someone who let her be herself and remained open and honest with her. Now he worried that he'd closed the door on opportunity one time too many.

Stephanie knew that, on the surface, he looked calm, but even after all these months, she could tell he struggled with what she'd just told him. But why? She replayed their conversation in her mind and realized exactly what Ranger would have heard. She hadn't meant it that way, but he didn't need to know it just yet. "I've gotten close with him. Actually, all three of us are close: me, Merc, and Geo. I assume you've met Geo, right?" Ranger nodded.

They both looked up when Merc approached the table.

"What's up?" Stephanie asked as she wiped her mouth on her napkin.

"Sorry," he said to Ranger. Turning to Stephanie, he continued in an excited tone, "I hate to break up your reunion, but Stone-Croft just called and we need to meet him as soon as we can."

"Really? That's amazing! I'll be finished here in a second."

Merc nodded and then snapped his fingers. "Belle, this is going to cut your afternoon short. We need to do this quickly so you can get to your appointment on time."

"Since time is going to be short, can we get Luc on board for tonight?" She had an appointment to be pampered and have her hair cut. With the addition of this meeting, she worried they'd get to the bar on time for sound checks.

"I'll speak to him. Meet us up front in five minutes." He pointed toward the front of the diner.

Stephanie nodded and turned back to Ranger, who had been silently watching the exchange.

"What is it you do these days?" Ranger eyed her while she shoveled one last bite into her mouth and slurped her orange juice, wincing as the sour flavor battled with the sweet syrup.

Stephanie chewed the mountain of pancake in her mouth and swallowed roughly before she answered. "I work with the guys. Sorry, gotta go – something's come up."

"Are you the manager for Merc's band?"

Stephanie wanted to laugh. Instead, she settled for a headshake. "I do other stuff. You know, this and that."

Ranger nodded and let it go for the moment. "Will I see you again?"

She guzzled her coffee and shrugged her shoulders. "Not sure."

He grabbed her hand to still her frantic movements for a second and said, "Please, Stephanie. I need to see you again."

She wasn't ready for him to push his way back into her life just yet, but she didn't want to cut him out again, either. They had things to discuss, for one thing. For another, she didn't want to lose touch. "Got a pen?"

He reached inside his jacket and withdrew a pen from his inner pocket, then handed it to her. She wrote her number on a napkin and slid it across the table to him. "That's my number. Won't do you any good to trace it, it's a prepaid phone. Leave a message and I'll call you when I'm ready."

She shoveled the last bite of pancake into her mouth, then slid out of the booth and pulled her sunglasses down off the top of her head to hide her eyes from view. "Take care, Ranger." She turned around and followed Merc and Lucio out of the restaurant amid Lucio's shout back to Ranger that he would call him next week.

When they got outside, Stephanie tapped Merc's arm. "What does Devin want?"

Merc smiled wide and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "One of his bands heard our demo; they need a good opening act and want to meet us. They're also coming to the concert to listen to us live this weekend, but want to meet face to face today. I feel bad pulling you away, but we can't say no to this opportunity."

"No trouble. There wasn't much going on there." Merc sent her a sharp look, but she ignored it and climbed into the Cayenne. "You meeting us back at our place later, Luc?"

Lucio nodded and slipped behind the wheel of his silver Mercedes sedan.

As they pulled away from the diner, Stephanie had a sudden realization that almost made her groan out loud. Ranger knew Merc's real name. She should have realized the minute she saw him he would know everything about anyone connected to a family member of his, in this case, Lucio.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Ranger watched the group walk away and thought about the irony of Stephanie's business taking her away from him for a change. About ten minutes later, he was sitting in the Turbo and his cell rang. "Yo," he answered.

"Boss, you heading to see Chambers, now?" Ram asked.

"No."

"Your tracker is on the move."

"Just keep an eye on it twenty-four, seven." He hung up and a small, satisfied smile worked its way across his lips. It was only a matter of time before he found where she'd been for the last year. And just how close she and Thaddeus Mercer really were.


	12. FW Ch 12

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes._

_A/N: Thanks to **everyone** for your support and for sticking with me. I appreciate you all so much! M and Alf, my appreciation always for the butt kicking I sometimes get from you. I hope you both know how grateful I am to you. :)_

* * *

Merc and Stephanie rode in silence. Merc knew Stephanie needed time to decompress from the unexpected meeting she'd had with Ranger. He'd given the guys a heads up about Stephanie's frame of mind when he called them with the details of the meeting.

Merc pulled up at the Valet station at the Strata and glanced over at Stephanie. "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's do it." Stephanie said and opened up the car door and flashed a quick smile at the pimple faced kid who received the car.

The other members of the band met them in the lobby, and together they rode the elevator up to the penthouse. Stephanie kept a white-knuckled grip on Geo's hand and tried to ignore the nervous energy that hummed around them. "I hate this," she whispered. "And I wish I'd had time to change or at least put on some makeup."

Geo looked down at her and gave her hand a squeeze. "Everything in this business is an interview, Belle. Might as well get used to it. And you look beautiful."

"I don't mind the interview. I just don't like to worry about whether or not they'll like me."

Merc shook his head and turned to look at her. "I can't _believe_ you said that. They're going to love you, we did," he said as she began to shake her head in protest. "Smile and conjure up Michelle Belle, the confident musician. No, just emanate Stephanie Plum, the woman who withstood her past today."

She didn't have long to think about the repercussions of today's accidental run-in with Ranger. The elevator doors opened and soon Merc's knuckles rapped firmly on the door. It swung open and Devin greeted them all with a smile. "Good to see you all. Please come in and I'll introduce you."

They stepped through the door and found themselves shaking hands with none other than the band _Creed_, who had recently reunited and were on a tour. It was explained that one of _Creed's _opening bands lined up for September through December had recently had legal trouble, and a replacement was needed.

The face to face meeting was brief and they discussed Creed attending the concert on Saturday to watch Naked Soul perform live. Stephanie's qualms over the two bands getting along were calmed after introductions were made. They were professional, friendly, and down to earth. Comments they made about the possibility of Naked Soul joining them on their tour sounded like a great opportunity and she hoped they were offered the spot.

After they left the penthouse, Merc slipped his key into the elevator panel, turned it and then selected the unlit button which would take them to their suite. When the doors opened, he turned to Stephanie and stroked her cheek. "Have fun, see you tonight."

She smiled and pressed the button for the lobby. The valet brought Merc's car around and she tipped him, hopped inside, and then scrambled to get to Arnaud Benoit's home on time. The front door opened before she raised her hand to knock. "Belle! You're late, _peu peu_."

"Sorry, Arn. I only have two and a half hours. Luc is meeting me at the hotel for makeup tonight. We're on a tight schedule today." She offered up her right cheek to him for a quick peck, and then her left. "We had an unexpected business meeting."

"So I heard." He smiled and raised a hand to her hair. "We should take care of _this_ first; then I will give you a massage." He took her to the small private studio at the back of the house and, in a matter of forty-five minutes, had her hair expertly washed, trimmed, shaped, and wrapped in a towel.

Arnaud led her to the screened porch in the back of the house where she settled onto a large, padded massage table. His magical hands moved over Stephanie's toned body, driving the tension from her body. The massage ended much too soon and Stephanie groaned, "Please, just a few more minutes."

"Relax, _peu peu_. I'll be back in fifteen."

When Stephanie reappeared freshly showered and dressed, Arnaud dried and pinned her glossy curls into a funky and wild updo at the crown of her head. It took everything in her to stay awake as she drove back to the hotel. Inwardly, the thought of tonight's upcoming performance excited her; yet, at the same time, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and pretend her carefully hidden life wasn't in danger of full exposure.

In the prep room at The Closter, she sat still as stone in front of Lucio as he brushed creamy glitter paint onto her cheek. Unlike her, he had enough talent to freehand the design onto her face. After he set the design with a shimmery powder, he started work on her eyes. "I'm so glad you agreed to help me get ready. With the meeting earlier today, and my little pamper session with Arnaud, I never would have made it."

"I thought you deserved some pampering after this morning. I've never seen you so stressed," Lucio said and dabbed a clear matte gel onto her lids with a sponge.

"Yeah, it was a surprise." She fiddled with the hem of her t-shirt for a minute, then looked up at him. "You're Ranger's cousin. Are you a Manoso? We never got around to last names, didn't seem important."

A dubious expression settled on his face. "Is it important?"

She flashed him a quick smile. "No, not to our friendship. I'm just trying to work out what side of the family you're from."

"It's Santos."

Stephanie drew in a quick breath and stared at Lucio with wide eyes. "Santos? Are you Lester's brother?"

Lucio smacked his forehead with his hand. "Carlos called you Stephanie and I never made the connection. So, you're the friend Lester has been searching for since last year?"

"A year?" she gasped.

"Yes, Belle, a year." Lucio redirected his eyes to the floor. "He's my cousin, but when his parents died, he came to live with us." He raised his eyes to met hers. "That's when he became our brother."

She closed her eyes and blew out the breath she'd held. "I can't believe you're related to Lester _and _Ranger."

She heard him chuckle. "Why? Because they're such _manly _men and I'm such a _man's_ man?"

"No! I never said you weren't manly." She pursed her lips in mock annoyance. "Because Ranger is, well, Ranger, and Lester is my favorite Merry Man."

Luc let out a bark of laughter. "Please, _please_ tell me you call my cousin a Merry Man to his face!"

A small smile crossed her lips. "Not a chance. Lester was my partner during my on and off stints at Rangeman before I left Trenton."

Stephanie sensed Luc's stillness and cracked open an eye to look at him.

He looked sad and a little dazed. "Lester and I are close, Belle," he murmured. She nodded and opened her eyes fully to look at him. "I probably don't have to tell you he was frantic looking for you, do I?" His voice was quiet, reserved. In that moment, Lucio looked very like Lester Santos and Stephanie couldn't believe she'd never seen the resemblance before. Then again, she'd have to imagine Lester in black eye liner and flashy clothes. Well, maybe the flashy clothes weren't a stretch.

"I didn't leave intentionally to hurt him, Luc," she explained as sadness filled her chest. "In fact, I didn't think about anyone but myself and my need to disappear. I haven't called my parents in over a year. I'm close with my grandmother, and I've never once tried to contact her." Stephanie stood to pace as her self-directed anger built. "It wasn't until a few days ago that I called my best friend because I missed her so much, and this is the one person I used to call about everything." She stopped pacing and turned to look at Lucio. "And I left without a word, and with no plans to contact any of them."

Lucio set down his brush and sat on a stool at the vanity. The lights lining each side of the tall mirror cast shadows over the opposite side of his face, etching out the sadness in his features. "Belle, I'm not sure what to say to you. Did Lester ever tell you about my sister?"

Stephanie gave a slight nod. "The cousin he always said I look like?"

He smiled sadly and said, "You do resemble her and you have the same spirit."

"Anita died when she was twenty-one. She was studying for mid-terms at Princeton." Stephanie's brows rose slightly. "Yes, she was very smart, beautiful, and talented. She and I were as close as a brother and sister could be, but she and Lester? Well, they were closer, so close it was scary at times. They were an extension of each other."Stephanie felt deep sadness for her two friends who lost someone so important to them.

He dragged in another deep breath and continued, "She got up to goof around and dance to some wild music with her roommates. A few moments later, she collapsed on the floor, a heart attack. Her death was sudden, so unexpected that none of the family had time to reach her at the hospital before she was gone." He stopped talking and stared at the makeup sponge he still held in his hand. Stephanie reached out a hand to give his arm a squeeze and saw his lips tremble just a little. "Sorry, it's been a few years, but she was my little sister."

Stephanie rubbed her hand up and down his arm in a comforting gesture. "I'm so sorry, Luc. It must have been a terrible shock for you. I know she was just a year or so younger than Lester."

"Yeah," he said after clearing his throat. "She was three years younger than me; Lester was right in the middle." He looked up at her, his eyes glistened with moisture. "We were devastated, but Lester," Lucio swallowed, "Lester was destroyed. She was his best friend. Between the loss of his parents, and then Anita, he's never been the same."

Stephanie blinked away the tears in her eyes because she knew Lucio would be stressed if he had to start her makeup over and she felt she'd caused him enough grief for one day. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Luc."

"Belle, you need to call Lester," he said suddenly and stood to hug her. "He really connected with you as a friend; he trusted you."

Stephanie's breath hitched in her throat and she swallowed hard before saying, "And I hurt him."

Lucio nodded. "Yes, you hurt him and you worried him. But worst of all, it was Anita all over again. He lost you suddenly from his life, a friend he'd allowed inside. That may seem like a small thing to you because you're so open and giving, but for Lester, that's monumental."

Stephanie nodded and bit her lips together to keep them from trembling. "I'll call him, Luc. I will, probably tomorrow because I want to take time to actually talk to him. "

He stood, and once he'd restarted her makeup application, he said quietly, "Thank you."

As Lucio finished her makeup, Stephanie's mind traveled through the faces of those she'd hurt with her impulsive and selfish decision. She had to go back to Trenton to try to make amends.

"Okay, Sug," Lucio said, "I have the _perfect_ outfit for you to wear to the meeting this evening." His statement scared Stephanie a little. Since the revival of the 1980s fashion trends, Lucio had been dolling her up in updated 80s punk style.

Stephanie groaned. "Please, just don't make me look like a bad Courtney Love. She is a mish mash of style I don't need right now."

"Honey, don't you trust me?" He stuck out his bottom lip in a pout.

She sighed and sent him an air kiss. "You know I do."

He opened the garment bag he'd hung on the door and motioned to it before he left the room. "You've got five minutes. I still have to paint you." he said on the way out. By the time Merc and Geo arrived for sound check, she was in costume with her mind made up.

"O. M. G," Geo said when they walked in and looked at her.

Stephanie squinted her eyes at him. "Did you just _verbally_ text me?"

"I agree," Merc said. "OMG."

She rolled her eyes at them. "Shut up." She looked down at her svelte form. Though she'd hated it, Merc and Geo had forced her to get up and run with them every day since her second day in Atlantic City. The thrice weekly weight training sessions helped her maintain her slender curves despite her unhealthy diet. No longer did the top button of her jeans pop.

Geo walked around her once, admiring the silver satin low-rise pants and fuchsia halter top that ended just below her rib cage. Around her midriff, Lucio had hand painted a black chain with fuchsia skulls outlined in silver. Down her right arm, he painted a black and silver floral pattern with thorns sticking out from a vine that wove throughout the pattern. Her right arm was left bare, as always, to display her tattooed skin brand.

"You're going with your real hair today?" Merc was stunned as he studied the tousled chestnut curls piled high on top of her head with sparkly white rhinestones glinting throughout.

"You're the one who said no more hiding, remember?" She reached up and planted a friendly kiss on his lips. "I'm ready to go."

Geo smiled. "You're not worried someone will see you?"

Stephanie shook her head. "No. I'm done hiding. In fact, I plan to go to Trenton next week to visit my parents and friends, provided I still have some." She ignored the shocked looks on Geo and Merc's faces and walked over to kiss Lucio on the cheek. "Thanks," she whispered, "for everything."

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Ranger got up at four after two hours of sleep to work out on Saturday morning, but stopped off at the computer he'd left on in his office on seven to check Stephanie's tracker. It was a stroke of luck for him that she'd kept the pen; it allowed him to know where she went without invading her carefully guarded privacy.

His thoughts swarmed around Stephanie throughout his workout. While he sparred with Tank, he had no focus and found himself lying on the mat time and again. His mind barely registered Tank's concern afterward as he went to do his normal routine with the free weights. The hot shower after had loosened his muscles, but he was still stiff from Tank pounding at his flesh.

Now, two hours later, he sat nursing the fresh bruises cropping on his shoulder and stared at the computer in his office conducting his own research about the band members. He searched their website, and ran checks on the studio who'd taken an interest in them. She didn't work there. She didn't pop up anywhere, but something lingered in the back of his mind. The picture wasn't right.

Next, he'd researched the individual members of the band. Everything checked out until he did a search on Michelle Belle, then he came up dry at every turn. He narrowed his eyes and took a closer look at the website pictures. He'd looked at them, but hadn't given 'Michelle' a close look; he'd been too busy searching for brown curly hair and blue eyes. Then he remembered. Merc's nickname for Stephanie – Belle.

He pulled up a head shot of Michelle singing into a microphone and froze. The makeup hid her face well, but nothing would make him forget that mouth. She held it open over the mic, her eyes squeezed tight, an expression of ecstasy on her face and he remembered a night so long ago when it hadn't been a microphone she'd held in her hands with that expression on her face. He felt a rush of heat awakening a long-neglected part of his anatomy.

Ranger shook his head in amazement. He couldn't believe it. She didn't work _for _the band or _with_ the band; it looked like she was the fucking _lead singer_ of the band. How had he missed this side of her?

Once he worked out her identity, he called a contact of his in Atlantic City to stake out the hotel and casino since he knew Thaddeus and Geoffrey Mercer lived there. He figured if someone watched them, they could learn where she was staying.

He was wrenched from his thoughts by a knock at his office door. "Busy," he said in a firm voice.

The knock sounded again. He sighed and snapped his ink pen in half, then stomped over to the door. His hand gripped the knob and he whipped the door open on a surge of anger. "What do you – Julie?"

His beautiful, fifteen year-old daughter stood in front of him with a timid smile on her face. "Hi Dad." It had taken several years since the Scrog incident, but they had finally formed a solid father-daughter relationship. Julie had started calling him 'Dad' after her thirteenth birthday, the day when she realized he held such unconditional love for her she could talk him into nearly anything, at least anything that wouldn't compromise her safety in his eyes.

"_Dulce_, why are you here?"

"Tank called mom to see if I could come up for a few days, and we have a few days off from school. I thought I would surprise you and come stay for the weekend." A look of disappointment crossed her face. "You're not happy to see me?"

Ranger shot Tank a look to inform him they would speak later and said to Julie, "No, no, _Dulce_. I'm glad you're here." He wrapped her in a warm hug and felt her love migrate through his shirt and straight to his heart. Ranger pressed his lips together to hold the surge of emotion in check. "Did you fly by yourself?"

Julie pulled back and rolled her eyes. "I'm almost sixteen, dad. I can fly by myself, but no," she assured him when he would have protested about her safety, "I had a Man in Black with me."

She looked up into his face. "Dad, you look tired. Come on, let's goof off today, just you and me. I can tell you about school and we can watch a movie." He looked hesitant, so she said, "Please." Julie knew he couldn't refuse when she said please. She stood in front of him with her long, straight black hair in a ponytail, wearing a pair of jeans and a pink hoodie. It was a matter of seconds before he was putty in her hands.

He relaxed enough that his exhausted body betrayed him, and a large yawn threatened to escape. "Okay, _princesa_. Let's go upstairs."

Tank watched Julie lead her father onto the elevator with her arm around his waist and his around her shoulders. He felt a presence to his right and turned his head slightly so he could see Bobby out of the corner of his eye.

"You're my fucking hero," Bobby whispered and walked back to the control room. Tank smiled and went back to finish the work on his desk he'd abandoned to spy on Ranger. Sometimes he amazed even himself.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Lester opened his phone in annoyance. He'd just ordered a pizza at Shorty's and had a piece in his hand when his phone buzzed. The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number, but he figured it could be an informant. "Santos," he answered.

"Les?"

He dropped the piece of pizza back onto the pan and sat in stunned silence for a few seconds. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. "Stephanie?"

He heard a slight gasp and her wobbly voice responded, "Yeah, Les. It's me."

"Oh my God! Where are you? Are you hurt? Do you need someone?" He stood to leave the table.

"No, no. Les, I'm fine. I've been in Atlantic City."

He resisted the urge to scratch his head. "The whole time you've been gone? You've been this close and you didn't bother to call and let a guy know not to worry about you?" He couldn't be positive if the emotion he felt was anger or hurt, but whichever it was didn't feel good.

"I'm so sorry," she whimpered softly. "I didn't think. I never stopped to consider how you felt. Lucio nearly kicked my ass when he found out–"

Lester sat back down as the strength left his body. "Lucio? My _cousin_ Lucio knew where you were? He didn't tell me, he never said a word!"

"How about if I start over, would you listen to me? I'll start from the beginning."

Her voice grew stronger as she spoke and he could hear her determination come through. "Okay, chica. Talk to me."


	13. FW Ch 13

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes._

_A/N: Thanks so much to my wonderful readers and those who have sent me encouragement. I appreciate you all SO much. Again, M and Alf, don't know what I would do without you BOTH. M, thanks for pulling triple duty on this one since I was so behind this week._

*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Ranger glanced at his teenage daughter in the passenger seat beside him and resisted the urge to grit his teeth. She'd worn a jacket, jeans, and the three inch heels he'd felt were too expensive for a sixteen year old girl, but let her talk him into buying anyway. He figured she wore an acceptably conservative top beneath the jacket.

He looked forward to the night out with Julie. It always gave him a rush of fatherly pleasure when she smiled or laughed with excitement over anything he gave her, even if it was as simple as a ticket to a movie she wanted to see. Life was as good as it could be, that is, without Stephanie in his life.

He pulled out of his parking garage with a smile on his face and an evening full of promise ahead of him, when Julie unzipped her jacket to reveal a little pale purple camisole with dark purple lace at the top. He felt a low growl building inside at the way the top accentuated her small, developing breasts; just another reminder that she was no longer a little girl.

"What . Is. That. Top. You're. Wearing?" he ground out in a low, even tone.

"What's wrong with it? It's the sort of stuff my friends and I wear in Miami to go out," she explained.

"This is not Miami. The jacket stays on tonight."

"Dad, I can't wear this jacket in the club! I'll look like a freak!" She crossed her arms and looked out her window.

"You will _not_ go out in public in that top," his quiet voice seethed.

She clenched her jaw and squeezed her arms tighter across her chest in defiance. "It's too late and the jacket's not going to happen, dad." She huffed out a small breath that created a small circle of fog on the window which quickly disappeared. "Unless you want to just forget the evening and go back to the apartment."

He gave a weary sigh and said, "I just learned an important lesson tonight about teenagers."

"Yeah? What was that? We know how to dress ourselves?" she asked with teenage arrogance, turning back to him.

"Make that two things. First, they're stubborn and irrational. Second, always do a wardrobe check before going out. I can't believe you're wearing so," he paused, searching for the right word, "_little_. I thought you had more sense than to show off your body like that."

"What?" She was angry now and he could hear her mentally spitting and sharpening her claws. He knew he'd made a mistake and he had to fix it before it spun out of control.

"Jules, I'm sorry," he said quietly. He held out his hand for her to take it. After a moment of hesitation, she did. "I didn't mean to make it sound like an insult. I'm not ready for you to grow up."

"Well, I am, dad. I can't stop it and neither can you."

He pulled off the side of the road and gathered her close in his arms. How did he always mess these things up? "I wish I'd been there for you all along."

She lifted her face to look at him and squeezed him tight. "Dad, it's okay. There were times when I was confused about your absence from my life, but mom and Ron never let me take it personally. They told me you did it because you loved me, and I believed them. I won't say it didn't hurt, but we're past it now. Aren't we?"

"I wish I knew how to stop hurting the ones I loved," he said more to himself than her and she didn't respond. She didn't know how to help him except to continue to love him.

"So, this concert is at a club?" she asked.

Ranger nodded. "Yes."

"Aaanndd," she dragged the word out dramatically, "what makes you think they will let me in?"

He flicked a glance at her. "You're with me; no one will ask." Julie rolled her eyes and punched his arm playfully.

"What kind of music is it?"

Ranger shrugged. "I think it's alternative; I didn't really pay attention."

Her brow furrowed. "Why are we going to a concert if you're not sure what kind of music it is?"

"Because," he flashed her a wide grin, "Stephanie Plum sings in one of the bands."

"Really?" she asked and her face lit up with excitement. He nodded and she shouted, "Dad, that's awesome! I can't wait."

He smiled. "I thought you'd like it."

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

"That band was really good!" Mary Lou yelled across the table to Connie, but her mind was already looking for an excuse to leave so she could head back stage.

Lula nodded her head in agreement. "They got it. I can dig a female lead singer. 'Bout time they get some good bands with strong women up on that stage." She sipped her Margarita and said, "I should give Sally a call and get us out performing again." Her statement was met with groans from the table's two other occupants.

"What's the phrase? Don't kick a dead horse?" Connie asked the table at large.

Lula glared in Connie's direction. "That's beat a dead horse, Miss Thang, and watch it. I may not work at the bonds office, but I can still come in there and kick your ass."

"Love to stick around and see how this turns out, but I gotta use the little girl's room," Mary Lou said as she grabbed her clutch from the table top.

Mary Lou's eyes skittered across the club in search of the restrooms and the stage door. She found both after a few moments, but the doors were on opposite sides of the stage along the back wall. The place was packed, so Lou figured she could hide in the crowd.

"I'll come with you," Connie said and jumped off the tall bar stool. "I had one too many martinis."

"Okay, but I, uh, thought I saw someone I knew across the club. I was going to head over to see and say hi."

"Girl, one thing we don't do is let a friend wander off alone in a crazy place like this. Look how packed it is," Lula said as she climbed down from her stool. "We'll come with you, maybe we know this person, too."

"Really, it's no trouble. Wouldn't want you to miss the bathroom line. Why don't you go wait for me and I'll be right over?" Lou started to panic at their insistence.

"Con, I think she doesn't want us to come with her. What are you hidin', Mary Lou?" Lula gave her a pointed look then scanned her eyes around the crowd.

Mary Lou felt frantic. She didn't want to miss Stephanie, but didn't see a way to get rid of Lula and Connie. "Fine, come with me." Her shoulders sagged while she spoke and turned around to walk toward the door leading backstage. When they arrived at the door, a humongous man stood guard and put up his hand to stop their progress. She raised herself up to her tip-toes and said, "I'm here to see Michelle. My name is Mary Lou and these are my guests."

"Give me their names, I'll need to check," said the large man who looked like a cross between Schwarzenegger and Van Damme on steroids. He jotted down their names before he disappeared inside the stage door. A moment later, he appeared and flipped his thumb in the direction of a short guy with mousy brown hair and wire-rimmed glasses. "Go with him."

The women followed the little man through the door. "Michelle is through here." He pushed open a wood door and it opened to a huge dressing room area where _Naked Soul_ stood in a circle laughing and talking in loud, excited voices.

Mary Lou turned to their escort. "Excuse me. We're looking for Michelle. She said she worked here?"

The man cocked his head to the side for a moment and then shrugged. "Yeah, just go in; she said she was expecting you."

Just then a familiar voice shouted, "Lou! Connie! Lula!"

The women turned to see the sapphire and silver-clad female member of _Naked Soul_ rushing toward them with her arms out. She threw her arms around Mary Lou and said in a shaky voice, "Hey! You made it."

"Stephanie?" Mary Lou asked. She pulled back and looked into her friend's face. "You're in the band?"

"Hold on! Stephanie Plum?" Lula shouted. She walked over and studied the teary eyed woman. "You've been gone a year and joined a _band_? You play _guitar_?"

"Oh my God," was all Connie could say. Everyone stared at their friend, trying to make the connection between their clumsy bounty hunter friend and this incredibly talented musician.

Stephanie held out one arm to Lula and Connie, who walked over and engulfed Stephanie and Mary Lou in a group hug. A chorus of voices rose up as they all began to speak at once.

"This is quite the reunion!" The women looked up and stepped apart to see an incredibly handsome man approaching. His mirror image, dressed similarly with the exception of an olive green shirt instead of red and a different design painted onto the opposite side of his face, came to stand beside him.

"Belle, who are your cute friends?" The first twin asked.

Stephanie grinned at the two men and the other two band members joined the group. One had black hair and lightly tanned skin, the other had flaming red hair and green eyes, both were muscular and worthy of a little drool. The women were silent, staring at the hard bodies in front of them. Stephanie pointed to each of the men as she made introductions.

"Listen up guys," Merc, the twin wearing the olive green t-shirt, said, "Scott sent me a text and said they think we're great and they'll see us in a couple of months." Stephanie gave a small fist pump and got swallowed up in a group hug by the men before they waved and left to go pack up the band's gear. It was obvious they were giving Stephanie and the girls some privacy.

Stephanie turned back to find all three women gaping at her. Lou was the first to find her voice and she exclaimed, "How the hell do you do it?"

"Do what?"'

"Find all these incredibly sexy men who surround you all the time? First the Merry Men and now the band? You have hot man Karma!" Lou shook her head in amazement. She leaned toward Stephanie and lowered her voice, "Seriously, Steph? Twins?"

Stephanie laughed. "They're all like family to me." _Mostly._

Lou looked a little skeptical. "Sure, family, but I'd be thinking along the lines of related by _marriage_."

Connie asked, "So, Mary Lou knew where you were this whole time?" She shot Mary Lou an accusing glare.

"No. I just called her a few days ago and invited her here," Stephanie explained. "I wanted to start getting back in touch with everyone." She bit her lip and looked at each one of them, her eyes full of worry and sorrow. "I want to apologize for what I did, leaving and not calling, worrying everyone."

"Girl, I've got so many things to say to you, I don't know where to begin," Lula said in a loud voice. "Oh wait, yes I do. Give me one reason I shouldn't turn and hightail it right the hell outta here." She crossed her arms and fixed Stephanie with angry eyes.

Stephanie swallowed and blinked back her tears. With a slow nod, she said, "I can't and won't stop you if you leave, but then you'll miss out on the details of the last year and my conversation with Ranger yesterday." She watched Lula's expressions change from anger to annoyance, then annoyance to greedy curiosity, and she knew her friend would stay.

"Well, damn, girl. You know I would never really walk out on you, but why didn't you ever tell me you could play like that? You're the shit, girlfriend." Connie nodded her agreement.

Stephanie noticed the women's eyes drifting to the men working behind her. Lula shook her head slowly and said, "Woman, when life hands you lemons, you leave town and then the god of sexy men hands you four studs serving you one hell of a glass of lemonade. How do you do it?" Stephanie held her hands up in a 'beats me' gesture and shrugged.

Connie smiled and Mary Lou piped in. "So, tell us about running into Ranger yesterday."

"Okay, I'll start at the beginning." She discovered all three women knew about the scene in Ranger's apartment the night she left and that the Merry Men never fully gave up looking for her, though they did tone down their search from 'intense' to 'routine' after a couple of months.

When Stephanie relayed the diner scene from yesterday, the girls were beside themselves. "You left him saying you had business and to leave you a message?" Connie screeched. "Ohhhh, that is the best. Please tell me he looked just the way you used to look when he did that to you?"

Stephanie bit her lip. "Well…" The women shouted in hysterics over the image. She grinned at them.

When she would have said more, Lucio burst into the room and made a beeline for Stephanie. "I got back here as fast as I could, Belle. It took me forever to get to the Denali, then I had the wrong set of keys, and–" he stopped speaking and glanced around at the women ogling him. "Friends of yours?"

"Yeah, from Trenton." She introduced the girls and looked at the garment bag Lucio held. "Okay, this outfit is skin tight, so I'll need your help to get out of it." Her friends' jaws dropped, but she pretended not to notice.

"That's why I'm here, Sug. We're in a _hurry_." His not-so-subtle hint made her realize she had to say goodbye.

Stephanie gave the women an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry, girls. We have to leave in about fifteen minutes to head back to Atlantic City for a late concert tonight at our regular place." Stephanie and the ladies bade each other a hasty, slightly teary, goodbye and she promised to visit Trenton the next week. Watching them leave was bittersweet, but the clock was ticking and she didn't have time to dwell on her thoughts.

"I'll hang this on the door. Let's get this off you and I'll give you a few to get dressed." It took a couple of minutes, but they finally got the skintight shirt off her without ripping it. "I think you can handle the pants on your own," he said with a wink and disappeared.

No sooner had she stripped off her shimmery silver pants and pulled on a pair of moss green denim hot pants and knee high black leather boots than there was a knock at the door. "Belle? You decent?"

"Enough for you, come in," she called out. She heard the door open and immediately felt a hum of energy shoot through the familiar place in her lower back and fan upward toward her neck. Before she turned around, she grabbed a pink camouflage tank top from the hanger and held it over her chest.

"Ranger," she said with a carefully neutral voice when their eyes met. She thought of the various ways she could kill Lucio for his trickery, but then her eyes drifted to Ranger's companion. "Julie?"

Julie looked surprised for a minute and then her lips spread into a wide smile. "Stephanie? I can't believe how fantastic you were out there tonight!"

"Hey, let me tug on this shirt and we can talk, okay?" Julie nodded and Stephanie turned around to pull the tank on, then turned back around. "How are you, kiddo?" she asked, pulling Julie into a warm hug. "You look beautiful; a beautiful young woman."

The sight of Julie dredged up all the old feelings from the Scrog incident she'd forgotten: the bond formed with Julie over their captivity, the partnership with Ranger, and the moment she realized how much she loved him. She tamped down her emotions, but noticed her voice was a little wobbly as she and Julie caught up and she listened to the stunning girl's animated chatter.

Stephanie felt Ranger's intense gaze on her the entire time. She wasn't sure she could handle it much longer when he reached out and traced his fingertip over the brand on her arm. "Chasing away demons, Babe?" From his expression, she knew he was thinking of Abruzzi, but the moment his eyes captured the words _injured, refused, alone, _comprehension filled them and he looked at her with a grim expression. "Or fools?"

Stephanie's brow furrowed at his last statement, but she decided it was best to avoid the topic. "Did you guys like the show?"

"You didn't answer my question," Ranger said.

"Stop," Stephanie said in a low voice.

Julie stepped closer to them and asked, "What's going on with you two? Why are you acting so weird with each other?" She turned to Ranger and asked, "What did you do, Ranger?"

Ranger compressed his lips against the blow of Julie calling him Ranger instead of dad. He didn't speak, neither did Stephanie. They continued to stare at each other, unblinking.

Suddenly, Julie let out an angry puff of air. "You didn't feed her that whole 'It isn't safe for me to be in your life' bullshit, did you?"

"Julie, language!" he barked out.

"Not this time, dad. It _is_ bullshit, and you know it." She would have argued further, but the sound of Stephanie's voice cut her off.

"Don't worry, Julie," Stephanie said. "There was never a relationship for him to avoid." She gave Julie a sad smile and grabbed a black denim cropped jacket from the other hanger.

"Dad?" Julie knew something wasn't right, but neither adult would speak.

Ranger looked at his daughter and softened his features. He walked over and wrapped her in a loving embrace, kissing the top of her head. "Stephanie came to me one night a while ago, _princesa_. She tried to give me a beautiful, perfect gift and I was too stupid and scared to accept it, so I gave it back. I hurt her." He held on tight to Julie, but turned his face to look at Stephanie. "She didn't deserve that."

The sight of Ranger in 'dad' mode shot straight to her heart, but Stephanie pursed her lips and swallowed hard, refusing to give in to her emotions. "No, I didn't, but I was wrong, too, Julie. When he rejected my, uh, gift, I made a hasty decision and chose to run instead of standing up for myself. I didn't consider what it would cost others. In that respect, we were the same." She saw Ranger close his eyes and kiss the top of Julie's head once again. "It's something I have to make amends for and a mistake I won't repeat."

"Mistakes are only worthwhile if we can learn from them," Ranger said. "Sometimes the only way to discover if we learned is to be tested again."

Stephanie held her breath and prayed he couldn't see the vein pulsing wildly in her neck. She didn't know what game he was playing, but she was determined not to be a participant. He'd already told her how he felt about sharing a life with her and couldn't imagine he'd changed his mind. Yet, she couldn't shake the thought that he was asking for a second chance, and that was one thing she didn't know if she could give.

Thankfully, before he could say anything else, the door opened and a frantic Geo rushed in. "Hey, Carlos." He nodded to Ranger and received a slight nod back. "Belle, we've gotta jet."

"Mm-kay." She turned to Julie and smiled as much as she was able. "Great to see you, Julie. We have a concert in Newark this summer. Ask your dad if you can come watch us if you're around." She sent Ranger a meaningful glance that said she meant _without _him.

"Awesome, thanks. I liked your music. If I'm here, it'd be fun." Julie and Stephanie exchanged a quick hug.

"Great. See ya, kiddo." She waved to both of them and followed Geo, who had gathered up her belongings, out the door. She cast one final glance back into the room and caught the look of torment on Ranger's face. She was in too much of a hurry to think about the questions running through the back of her mind, but she also knew they'd have to be sifted sometime soon.


	14. FW Ch 14

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes._

_A/N: First, I want to say a HUGE thank you to M for her additions to Tank's adventure. This would have been a completely different chapter without her writing talents. It's been a blast to collaborate together. :) _

_Thanks to Alf for being honest and expecting more from me as I go. I appreciate every comment and observation._

_To my reviewers, thanks so much. I look forward to your comments each week. I think I'm a bigger fan of you than you are of this story!_

_We're starting to wind down now. Hopefully, you'll enjoy these next few chapters as I wrap up the story._

*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Tank spared the wall clock in his office a quick glance and cursed under his breath. Damn, Ranger. Why in the hell hadn't Ranger inflicted his normal form of punishment? He would much rather have met the boss on the mats at 4 a.m. for a week than being stuck babysitting Mary Lou's kids tonight.

He rolled his chair back from the desk, stood and checked his utility belt without thinking. When his hand lingered over the stun gun, he wasn't sure whether to smile or chastise himself. With a deep sigh, he opened the office door and headed out.

"Brown, you're in charge for the next few hours," Tank growled the order out when he walked by Bobby.

"Whoa! Wait up big guy," Bobby called.

Tank turned to face Bobby, a deep frown etched on his face. "What?"

Bobby reached under the desk he was sitting at in front of the monitor station. "We've got a little something for you before you set out on your mission, a survival kit." Bobby tossed a bright pink diaper bag in Tank's direction; he caught it out of habit.

"First thing you're going to need," Zero stepped forward and handed Tank a small box of disposable diapers. Taped on the front of the box was a piece of paper with a hand drawn diagram of the correct way to diaper a baby.

Tank felt a cold sweat break out at the possibility of changing a diaper. Shit, he hadn't thought of that necessity. He traced back through his thoughts trying to recall the ages of Mary Lou's children.

"Just in case they're too old for diapers, you might need this," Cal slapped an extra large plastic athletic cup into Tank's other hand. "Little rug rats always seem to be just at that height."

With a low growl, Tank shoved both items down into the diaper bag hanging over his shoulder. He turned to leave for the second time when someone else stopped him by calling for him to wait. This time it was Ram. "Just to prevent what happened the last time you babysat, put these on the kids when you get there." Ram held out three tracking bracelets for Tank to see before shoving them down inside the bag.

"Is that all?" Tank grumbled and threw a stern look around the room.

"Umm, whatever you do, don't let them have sugar." Hal's quiet voice drew Tank's eyes to the left. "Give them some of this instead," Hal tried to hide his smile when he handed Tank a package of turkey lunchmeat. "Turkey is supposed to make them sleepy."

"All of you stop it!" A reproachful voice sounded from the other end of the hall. Everyone turned to look in Ella's direction. She narrowed her eyes at all the men when she walked down the hall. "The only thing you have to remember is that they are children, not soldiers. The best way to handle them is with love and patience." She reached up to pat one of Tank's large shoulders. "And if that fails, bribe them with cookies and call for reinforcements." Ella winked and slipped a plastic container of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies into the bag.

Tank mumbled his thanks and hurried toward the elevator, he had to get out of here before he decided to resign from Rangeman and accept the consequences.

Tank sat in his Escalade and stared at Mary Lou's front door. Ranger's revenge was a thousand times worse than the punch Tank had snuck in the night Stephanie left, but he couldn't convince his friend of it. A thought popped into his mind as he exited his SUV. What sort of a mother would allow a gun-toting military type to look after her kids? The obvious answer was a desperate one. He scanned up and down the street before he reached back inside the SUV to grab the diaper bag.

His eyes caught odd shapes in the grass along the sidewalk up to the front porch. They were unrecognizable except for one with jaggedly cropped blonde hair. He bent over to pick it up and saw that it was a Barbie doll with red nail polish streaked across her neck, as if someone had sliced it open. He flipped the toy back onto the grass and approached the steps, fighting a shudder.

Tank shook his head and mumbled under his breath as his feet ascended the porch steps. Mary Lou swung the door open and flashed a smile up at him. "Hi Tank, come in." She stepped away from the door and her hands went to her hips, eyes narrowed in a classic 'unhappy mom' pose. "Kenny, I mean it. Don't give me that look, buster."

She turned back to Tank and he gave a mental cringe. He'd been holed up for three days with no food and very little water in Afghanistan hiding from insurgents and felt more comfortable than he did standing inside this house with the prospect of being alone with three children.

"You all set?" Tank asked.

Mary Lou nodded. He noticed the coat draped over the arm of the couch near the door. She was ready to hit the road and abandon him. He schooled himself to tamp down his inner panic.

He peered around the door and found three sulking children seated on the couch with dull stares on their faces. All three appeared to be too old for diapers and Tank released an inner sigh of gratitude. "Hey, I'm Tank." He nodded to them. He received three simultaneous blinks. _Wonderful, we're off to a great start already_. "What are your names?"

The children didn't speak, merely stared at him until Mary Lou stepped out from behind him. When they caught a glimpse of her expression, they sang like canaries.

"I'm Kenny," the oldest boy answered. He was a gangly kid, tall and slim. His hair was dark blonde and his eyes were hazel. He nudged the younger boy beside him in the center of the couch.

The boy shoved back and mumbled, "Mikey." He was solid, not chubby, and had darker brown hair. He had a lighter color of hazel eyes than his brother and his skin was pale where Kenny had an olive complexion. The boys turned to look at their little sister, who Tank could see was more shy than stubborn.

"Lexa," she whispered and averted her gaze, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She had pale skin and pale eyes, maybe blue-gray, maybe blue. Her blonde hair was up in pigtails and her eyes were big as saucers.

Mary Lou turned back to Tank. "Kenny is ten, he can show you anything you need and has _promised_ to help out with the younger two. Mikey is eight and Lexa is six. Bedtime is nine on Saturdays." She grabbed her coat and slipped her arms into the sleeves before she settled it onto her shoulders and fluffed her straight blonde hair out. "Tank, thanks so much for your help. With Lenny out of town on his fishing trip and my usual backup unavailable, this would have been impossible." She touched a hand to his arm. "It means so much to me."

"No problem," he said.

"The kids haven't eaten dinner. I ordered Pino's and it should be here in about twenty minutes." She ticked off her mental list. "My cell number is on the whiteboard by the phone. Okay, Connie just pulled up." She grinned. "She's our DD tonight. Want us to bring Lula here when we get back?"

"That'd be nice," he said with a smile.

The kids folded their arms firmly across their chests when she wrapped her hand around the door knob and twisted it. "Be good," she said pulling the door open. "Thanks again, Tank." And she was gone.

Tank stood in the middle of the living room with a blank stare directed at the kids. He couldn't think of one thing to say. He had very little experience with children and usually avoided them since many were scared of him due to his size. "How do you guys feel about turkey on your pizza?" Tank asked and mentally crossed his fingers.

Three jaws dropped and Kenny said, "What?"

Tank smiled. "I'm just kidding." He received three carefully bred Burg eye rolls and relaxed a little as the kids dropped their arms to their sides. _So much for Hal's idea_.

"Do you carry a gun?" Kenny asked and began to bounce up and down on the couch.

Tank gave a wary nod.

"Cool!" Mikey shouted. "Do you have it now? Can we see it?"

"No." His voice was a little gruff, but the kids took it in stride.

"You wanna play a game?" Kenny asked after Tank had his feet tied securely back inside his boots.

"Depends on the game." Tank remembered the first rule of combat: never trust your enemy.

"Good guys, bad guys," Kenny answered with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Okay."

"Attack!" Mikey shouted and all three kids scrambled off the couch to collect their Nerf 'N Strike Vulcan machine guns. Tank was immediately pelted with sponge bullets before he could react. He threw his hands up in front of his eyes and stalked toward the couch with full intentions of confiscating their weapons, but the kids moved out of his reach and continued to pelt him.

"Cover me!" he heard one of the boys shout. "I need to reload!" A series of pops followed and Tank was pelted by a second round of foam projectiles.

The kids were shouting and running when a loud wail from Lexa stopped the action. Tank lowered his hands to find the girl on the floor, her hands clutched over her stomach, and tears on her cheeks. _Great, Pierre. You've been here less than twenty minutes and already a kid is hurt._ "That's enough boys!" His voice boomed. "Sit. On. The. Couch."

The shock of his full, deep voice caused the boys to follow his exact orders. Tank approached Lexa and lifted her from the floor with big, gentle hands. Another wail met his ears and Tank looked over at the boys. Mikey was curled up in a ball and crying. Tank shot a glare in Kenny's direction and the older kid shook his head and raised his hands. "I didn't do a thing. He's afraid of the Hulk."

"What?" Tank cradled the little girl in his arms, relieved that her crying had reduced to a whimper.

"He must have thought you were going to turn green when you yelled. The Hulk movie gives him nightmares," Kenny said. _Great, there wasn't a damn thing in the diaper bag to use in case of nightmares._

Tank groaned and collapsed into the La-Z-Boy chair directly in front of the television. "Are you okay?" he asked the small girl. She nodded her head yes and snuggled into his chest.

"She's just being a baby 'cause we ran into–" Tank stopped Kenny's reply with a raised hand.

He stroked Lexa's small head with a gentle touch. "Okay," he said to his small charges. "I'm sorry I yelled." The boys gave a solemn nod in unison. "New rule for the rest of the night: no running."

"That's a good idea," Kenny said. "We're not supposed to run in the house."

Tank tipped his head back and sent his eyes skyward. The doorbell rang and all three kids miraculously recovered and yelled 'pizza' in unison. He worked his body out of the chair wondering how in the hell mothers did this every day.

At the door, he checked through the glass pane to be sure it was the delivery guy from Pino's. He recognized the black hat with the pepperoni pizza slice in the center front. He opened the door and handed the kid the money, complete with a ten dollar tip for his trouble.

He found some paper plates in the cupboard near the kitchen window and set out napkins. The children all sat around the table and Tank put a slice of their preferred pizza on their plates. "What do you want to drink?"

"Juicy Juice!" Lexa shouted with enthusiasm.

Tank smiled and looked at the boys. "Sound good to you?" They nodded. He went to the fridge and found the juice boxes on the bottom shelf. "Cherry or Apple?" Two calls for cherry and one for apple followed, so he grabbed them and set them on the table. The kids grabbed their juices, pulled off the straws and slurped down their drinks before he closed his pizza box.

They made quick work of the pizza and then retreated to the living room. Before his eyes, the kids morphed into a pack of wild imps. He swore they were pinging off the walls and ceiling. _What the hell?_

He stood up and said, "Sit down, all of you," in his military voice.

Three giggling hyenas sat on the couch and threatened to laugh themselves to death. How could he restore order when the kids weren't coherent enough to hear him? Then an evil idea popped into his head.

"I have to get something from my car. Everyone sit tight and I'll be right back." He gave them one final hard look as he trotted out the door and down the steps to his SUV. When he returned, he found the front door locked and the kids nowhere in sight. "Fuck that," he said. He picked the lock and tossed the harness he'd grabbed onto the couch.

His big voice boomed through the house. "I want you all back in the living room now! If I have to come find you, things will get ugly!" Small feet pounded through the house. Kenny and Mikey reappeared, but there was no Lexa. "Lexa?" Maybe Ram had been right about the tracker bracelets He turned to the boys. "Where's your sister?"

Kenny shrugged. Mikey said, "She's in her room. She hid under her bed."

Tank went upstairs and saw that her bedroom door displayed her name. He knocked on it and called out, "Lexa? You in there?" He heard sniffles and cracked the door open. "Come on out, little girl. I'm not upset with you." It took a few moments to convince her, but she finally squirmed out from under her bed.

"I didn't want to hide from you. Kenny said I had to because we were playing a game." Tank could understand the game, but the poor girl was afraid of his wrath and he understood that, too.

"Come on, let's go have some fun before bedtime." He held out his hand and she took it. They walked downstairs to join the boys and Tank looked them over. His gaze settled on Kenny and he said, "You pull anymore stunts like locking me out and I'll throw you so far it will take you two days to walk home." Fear crept into the boy's eyes and he gave Tank a solemn nod.

"You all see this harness? It's what I use to secure particularly wild children who don't listen. Anyone want to give it a try?" He picked up the harness from the couch and dangled it in front of their faces, swaying it back and forth, their eyes tracking every move. Three terrified head shakes met his question and he said, "Glad we understand each other. Now, who'd like a story?"

A few moments later, Tank sat in the La-Z-boy with the kids piled around him, each with one of Ella's cookies in hand. Kenny had grabbed _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban _from the book case and brought it over to Tank.

His deep timbre reverberated throughout the living room, strong and steady, as he read to them. Even without knowing what the book was about, he found it enjoyable and began to change his voice for each character. The kids laughed at his improvisation and periodically asked questions. Two chapters later, Tank closed the book and then announced, "Okay, time to get ready for bed."

Luckily for him, the kids had their bedtime routine down, and thirty minutes from the end of the story, Tank closed Lexa's door and went down to the living room to wait for Mary Lou to get home.

He settled back into the comfortable recliner and picked up the Harry Potter book. From the inside cover, it looked to be the third book in a series, _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_. "I can't believe I'm doing this." He got up and walked over to the book case and found they had several of the books, so he pulled the first one. "_Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone._ Okay, let's see how this got started."

He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep, but his eyes flew open the minute he heard a car pull into the drive. He slid the recliner back into an upright position and crossed the room to look out the front window. The girls were home and from first glance, feeling no pain.

"You ladies have fun tonight?"

"The best!" Connie had a sparkle in her eye and a flush to her cheeks. "It was a great night."

"Good. Let's go home, Lady Lu."

"I knew the kids would be in good hands tonight. Thanks, Tank." Mary Lou hugged him and then crossed to the couch where he'd left the harness. She picked it up and examined the buckles and straps, then turned a raised eyebrow back to him. "I do have one small favor to ask."

Tank leaned over to pick up the ugly pink diaper bag and tossed it over his shoulder. "What's that?"

"Can Lenny and I borrow this little contraption for a couple of days?" Mary Lou's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Enjoy." Tank smiled and gave a deep chuckle, then turned to Lula. "You ready, baby?"

"Am I ever! I just have one problem," she said as they stepped out onto the porch and Mary Lou closed the door behind them.

"What's that?"

"Why the hell did you give away something we coulda had so much fun with tonight?" She gave him a shot to the arm with her fist and stomped down the walk to his SUV. He smiled and shook his head, figuring he'd wait until they got to her place before he told her he had a spare.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Stephanie awoke Sunday morning as the sun rose over the horizon of the Atlantic after a fitful few hours of sleep. She'd gone to bed last night with two thoughts on her mind. The first was of Ranger and the comments he'd made at the club last night.

Her second thought was one she'd tried to avoid ever since she promised her friends a visit: returning to Trenton. It was time. She had no excuse to put it off. Naked Soul didn't have a Sunday evening concert. Stephanie could drive to Trenton tonight and stay until Tuesday afternoon without a problem.

Because she really wanted to run away from that idea, she decided she should do it. So, after a workout, a shower, and breakfast, she sprawled on the couch between M&G and blew out a breath.

Geo rubbed her feet and Merc stroked her hair. "Spill it," they said in unison.

"It's _really_ creepy when you guys do that," she complained.

"You love us anyway," Geo said.

She flipped him the bird and looked up into Merc's amber eyes. "Okay, I'm going to Trenton tonight. I'm going to stay at Mary Lou's as long as she's okay with it."

"Ah, the gorgeous, but married, Mary Lou," Merc said, smiling down at Stephanie. "It's a good idea, best idea all year."

"Oh? Even above me joining the band?"

"Like I said, second best idea all year," he laughed. "Really, you need this, it's been building since the night we rescued you from that horrible, smelly car you were driving."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. She slipped a foot out of Geo's hands and nudged his thigh. "Okay if I borrow your spare Beemer for a couple of days?"

He squeezed her foot. "Absolutely."

Her body sagged into the couch and she brought her hands up to rub her eyes. "Great," she said with no enthusiasm. "I'll go call her. I'm sure it will be 'just fine' and then I'll have no excuse to stay here and bug you two."

Geo laughed. "All the better. If he's not here following you around, it will give him a chance to flirt with that saucy little hostess at the diner. I'll bet she's kinky, redheads always are."

Stephanie ignored the slight sting in her gut and glanced at Merc. Merc shook his head slightly. "Geo's idea, I never said anything."

"I think it's a good one," she found herself saying. "She really likes you, and you _do _like read hair." She ignored the jealousy that rose to the surface and smiled.

Merc narrowed his eyes at both Geo and Stephanie and said, "I'll think about it, but I'm not sure I'm ready."

"Neither am I, but it seems life is forcing us both to move on," Stephanie eased herself up and walked to her room. "Be back in a few, boys. I've got a phone call to make."


	15. FW Ch 15

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes._

_A/N: Thanks so much to all my readers for sticking with me through the Tank chapter. This chapter is the beginning of the end. I hope you enjoy the downhill plunge._

_As before, I thank M and Alf SO much for their comments, support, and for keeping me true to my characters. _

*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*

"Are you sure you have everything you need?" Geo asked, eyeing the two suitcases Stephanie lugged out of her room early Sunday evening. "I mean, you're going for two nights, you might need another suitcase."

Stephanie narrowed her eyes at Geo. "I still have handcuffs and if you piss me off enough, I'll show you how they work."

He grinned. "That would be fun to see. I'm a _bit_ bigger than you, Belle."

"Don't tempt me, Geoffrey Mercer. I always got my man, no reason for that to change now." She stood before him, feet planted shoulder width apart, weight on the balls of her feet and hands on her hips.

He laughed. "Whoa, I believe you, Belle. I still say I wouldn't mind you tackling me and snapping some cuffs onto my wrists. Kinky." He winked at her and she let out a short laugh.

"What's this talk about handcuffs?" Merc stepped out of his bedroom. "I'm in if it's kinky."

"Ugh! You two!" Stephanie threw up her hands then leaned down to grab her suitcases. Before she even touched them, they were swept away by Geo and Merc, who walked to the door and looked at her expectantly. "Fine!" She crossed the room to join them and grabbed her purse from the dining table.

Merc opened the front door with his free hand and stepped aside for her to lead them out into the hallway. She briskly walked out the door then down the hall to the elevator and punched the down button. "You're both aggravating."

"Because we're carrying your luggage?" Geo looked puzzled.

"No!" She huffed, hooked the straps of her purse over her shoulder, and then crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes were glued to the panel displaying the elevator's current floor.

"No," Merc murmured. "Because we won't let her change her mind about going to Trenton tonight. She even gave me excuses for why she needed to stay."

Stephanie snapped her gaze over to his. "They weren't excuses. They were good reasons."

Merc rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. A pedicure?"

"I'm wearing open-toed shoes with my outfit on Wednesday."

"Laundry?"

"I need clean clothes!"

"Belle, we send all of our clothes out to be laundered. All you have to do is put them in the bin to go out and put them away when they come back."

"Well…"

"You're going." Merc dropped the suitcase and put his hands on her shoulders. "You've come so far, don't back track now."

Stephanie sighed. "You're right. I want to go, it just makes me nervous. This isn't going to be easy."

"Doing the right thing often isn't," Geo mused.

They rode down the elevator to the lobby and walked out to the waiting car together. Both men kissed her cheek before she climbed into the driver's seat. "Please don't get my car blown up," Geo called through the passenger window and then laughed as he jogged to catch up to Merc. She raised her hand to flip him off, but he'd disappeared inside the revolving door.

"Bastard," she mumbled. She pulled the car out onto the street and felt the apprehension begin to build in the pit of her stomach. "Okay, I can do this."

It wasn't long before she was cruising along the highway with Nickelback blasting out the speakers. She was going back to her roots, a mere ninety minutes, yet a lifetime away. Her stomach fluttered when she thought of all the possible reactions from those she planned to see: her parents, Lester, the Trenton Police Department … Ranger.

The urge to turn around hit her several times until she saw the first sign for her exit. As if she hit a time warp, she suddenly found herself parked in Mary Lou's driveway behind her Durango. Mary Lou's face appeared behind the decorative pane of glass in her front door and Stephanie felt the first wave of excitement hit her. She got out of the car and hurried up the steps. The door opened before her foot hit the porch and Mary Lou rushed out and gave her a tight hug.

"I can't believe you're here!"

"I know!" Stephanie followed Mary Lou into the house. "Thanks for letting me stay." She smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I think it's great to have you home. Lenny just took the kids to his mother's to stay tonight. Then he's going to hang out with some of the guys to give us time to catch up." Mary Lou looked pleased.

"He's a great husband," Stephanie said with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm lucky." Mary Lou led her to the living room and said, "Last night's concert was amazing. You're amazing. I knew you could sing, I remembered from when we were kids how you sang along with the radio. I never expected you to be so talented." She looked at Stephanie with damp eyes and smiled. "I'm so proud of you." When they reached the couch, Mary Lou sat down.

Stephanie sat beside Mary Lou and hugged her. The two women sniffled and blinked to hold their emotions back. "Thanks. It means the world to me that you've allowed me back into your life with open arms after what I did. You've always accepted every part of me and I'm grateful for that."

"Of course I would! You shouldn't be so surprised. Haven't you always told me I was your biggest cheerleader? In fact, there are many people here who love you and want to support you." Mary Lou got up and went through the archway into the kitchen, but continued to speak. "God, Steph! You have no idea what it was like here. Your parents were frantic, your Grandma Mazur stopped going to the funeral home. I think she was secretly afraid something happened to you." She returned with a can of diet Coke for each of them and plopped down onto the couch and drew her legs up to tuck into her side.

"I didn't think about how it would affect anyone. I realize now how selfish it was and that's one of the reasons I'm back. I have to apologize to everyone for being so inconsiderate of their feelings." Stephanie propped herself in the corner of the couch and turned slightly to face Mary Lou, popping open her drink to take a small sip.

Mary Lou stared at her hands and said, "Ranger has been eating dinner at your parents' every week since he got back. He went to talk to them as soon as he was back in town and told them he'd do whatever it took to find you."

"What?" Ranger voluntarily having dinner with her parents every week?

"Rumor has it he's also taken your Grandma Mazur to the Clip 'n Curl and even out to dinner a few times. He's been helping them out, spending time with them." Stephanie heard 'doing what you weren't here to do' loud and clear.

Feeling a little defensive, Stephanie snorted. "Must be his guilty conscience." When Mary Lou didn't speak, Stephanie sighed. "Okay, Lester filled me in on how Ranger's busted his ass trying to find me, but what can you tell me that I don't already know?"

"I think," Mary Lou cleared her throat, "it's best for you to find out for yourself. Ask him."

"Okay," Stephanie compressed her lips. "I will, maybe on this visit. I spent a lot of time thinking last night and I feel like I might be ready to have a conversation with him."

"You still love him."

"I shouldn't," Stephanie said quietly, "but I do." She looked at her friend. "Doesn't change anything. It just means I continue to love him from a distance. Same as always."

"Hmm," Mary Lou said contemplatively, then wisely changed the topic. "So, what _are_ your plans for Trenton?"

Stephanie leaned her head against the back of the couch and bit her lip in thought. "Well, I figure I'll spend tonight hanging out with my best friend." She reached over and grabbed a hold of Mary Lou's hand. "Then maybe have lunch with Lula and Connie tomorrow. Mary Lou grinned and Stephanie wondered how Vinnie had handled her sudden departure.

Mary Lou dipped her head and gave Stephanie a measuring look. "Are you going to see Joe?"

"Well," Stephanie raised her eyes to the ceiling in thought. "One of my stops is the TPD. I need to tell my friends there I'm sorry. If I happen to bump into Joe, of course I'll talk to him. The nice thing is that we've both moved on, so there's no obligation."

"True," Mary Lou said. "So, what are we doing tonight?"

"First? Pino's pizza."

"Already on the way, should be here any minute. Now, why don't you tell me about how you became such an awesome musician…"

*\/*\/*\/*\/*

The next morning, Stephanie woke up later than she'd planned. Glancing at the clock, she discovered it was nearly 10:30 and wondered why Mary Lou hadn't woken her. She groaned her way to the shower. Between the few measly hours of sleep Saturday night and going to bed in the wee hours this morning, her eyelids were on strike and refused to open.

The shower helped, but she still felt like the walking dead when she entered the kitchen an hour later. The cup of coffee Mary Lou handed her helped, but a wonderful, sinfully delicious idea popped into her head. "Mmm, thanks for the coffee, Lou, but I just realized what I need to _really _help me wake up this morning." Stephanie sent Mary Lou a lazy smile.

"A Boston cream? From Tasty Pastry perhaps?"

Stephanie whined, "I miss them, and Pino's, but you took care of my pizza fix last night."

Mary Lou held up a familiar white sack and Stephanie reached out to grab it greedily, when Mary Lou snatched it back. "I just need to know one thing before you get lost in donut land. Are you going to be back for dinner or are you going to your parents?"

Stephanie held out her hand and scrunched up her nose. "I should probably go to my parents' for dinner."

Mary Lou smiled. "Good idea." She handed Stephanie the Tasty Pastry bag and crossed the room to pull open her utility drawer beside the sink and dug something out. "Here's a spare key for you, just in case you get back late."

Stephanie took the key and hugged Mary Lou. "Thanks. I'll try not to make it too late. We'll have lunch tomorrow, okay?"

"I know you have a lot of people to see. Last night was my time. Just do what you need to do and don't worry about me."

"How did I get such a great friend?" Stephanie pulled back and looked and Mary Lou.

Mary Lou smiled and said with a shrug, "You've been pretty great yourself over the years. Now go."

Stephanie grinned as she left the house and climbed into the BMW. She was really glad Geo let her take the red one. The color made her feel bold and ready to face her mistakes. She noticed nothing had changed as she drove along the streets toward the bonds office.

Ten minutes later, she pulled open the door to the office and the familiar smells and sounds of her past life flooded her senses. The musty smell of the old pipes still wafted throughout the small, dilapidated building. The linoleum was still cracked and peeled and Connie's perfume still pervaded the dense air.

The ding of the bell over the door brought back memories that tugged on her heart strings: her first visit when she'd blackmailed Vinnie, sitting on the ugly naugahyde couch with Lula and talking, Ranger walking in and placing his hand on her neck…

She shook her head and walked in to find Connie on her hands and knees, peering beneath her desk. The ringing of the bell caused Connie to turn her head around and her eyes widened when she saw Stephanie. "Hey," she stood up and brushed off her skirt, "glad you made it."

"Yeah, thought I'd come in and reminisce about the old days," Stephanie said with a full smile.

Connie smiled back and rolled her eyes. "Well, you're lucky Vinnie's got a meeting with a client this morning or you'd get more than you bargained for with those 'old days' you mentioned."

The bell jingled and the women turned to find Lula walking in. She wore a sensible gray suit with a white blouse and a red scarf tied around her neck, loose knot to the side. Her four inch black FMPs were classic Lula and Stephanie smiled. "It's the business woman."

"You've got that right," Lula said. "Now, give me a hug." She hugged Stephanie and then sat down on the couch and blew out a tired breath. "I need to up my workout, walking those three blocks took a toll on me."

"More like that man of yours took a toll on you." Connie flipped a wicked look in Lula's direction.

Stephanie shook her head. "Lula, you look great." She turned to Connie. "Both of you look wonderful!"

Connie smiled. "Thank you." Then she sobered slightly and her eyes looked troubled. After a few seconds she seemed to come to a decision and said, "Before I lose my nerve, I want to clear the air and say I'm sorry I bragged about Joe to you that night in the bar."

Lula's eyes nearly flew out of their sockets. "Connie Rosolli! You never told me you ran into her," she said in a dangerous voice.

"That's because I was too drunk to remember to tell you Saturday and I haven't seen you until now. I didn't run into Stephanie, well, not technically back then. I had a five minute conversation with Michelle Belle, not Stephanie Plum. She was in this crazy costume and she didn't tell me who she was." Connie narrowed her eyes at Stephanie. "You sounded different and you held your mouth crooked, too. Very sneaky."

"Sorry about that–" Stephanie began, but Lula interrupted.

"And you were bragging about your new boyfriend, who just happened to be her ex-boyfriend? Shit, wish I'd been a fly on that wall," Lula hooted.

"Shut your trap, you wouldn't have known it was her, either." Connie turned back to Stephanie. "Anyway, I–"

"No worries, Con. I'm happy for you, both of you. You're the perfect match for Joe." She smiled at Connie, happy to discover that, for once, her heart and mind were one-hundred percent on board with each other.

"Well, one other thing I want to tell you is that," she paused for a split second and then beamed a smile as if she couldn't help herself, "Joe and I are engaged."

Without hesitation, Stephanie smiled and hugged Connie excitedly. "That's amazing! Congratulations!"

"Alright, alright. Enough of this sappy stuff. I'm hungry and Rossini's is calling to me," Lula complained. "And I hope that BMW out there is yours, girl, 'cause I'm in the mood to ride in style," she said, eyeing the shiny vehicle through the large front window.

"Yep," Stephanie said. They left the office and Connie locked up before they piled into the BMW. When they got to Rossini's, Stephanie indulged in their chicken alfredo, despite the Boston cream she'd recently scarfed down.

Lula told her about school, Tank, and her decision to quit at the bonds office. Connie told her about the new BEA Vinnie hired, her whirlwind romance with Joe, and their upcoming nuptials. "We were really lucky to get a hall on such short notice, but there was a cancellation," she explained.

Stephanie told them about meeting Merc and Geo, learning guitar, joining the band, as well as the fact that she'd written a song and they had booked a tour with Creed.

"Damn, Steph," Lula said. "Looks like you don't need this old rundown place anymore."

Stephanie grinned. "What rundown place? You're going to school, Connie's getting married, and Vinnie's got a replacement for me who holds his own. Everything's set, no Stephanie Plum needed."

"That's not true," Lula looked down at her plate and scraped her fork back and forth over the remaining bits of food on it.

"Huh? Hmm?" Stephanie mumbled around a mouthful of pasta.

Lula tapped the handle of her fork on the table a few times and then said, "Seems to me there's one Cuban superhero who needs you a lot. That man has been working himself, and my man, to death since he got back to find you."

Stephanie was stunned. "What do you mean?"

"He almost put himself into the grave looking for you. The guys, too. They were all running on fumes. Tank had to call in Julie so Ranger would slow down and take care of himself and give them a break."

"I didn't know it was that bad." Something else to put on the 'to think about' list.

"You need to get it together, girl. I know what he did, and he was wrong, but that was one night. You, on the other hand, ran off and hurt everyone who cared about you for an entire year. Ranger included."

"Hey, you don't think I've been hurting this whole time?"

"I'm saying you could've called. It was your decision to run from those who care about you and would've supported you." Lula tossed her napkin down on top of her plate. "You're stubborn. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and think about what you're doing, what you're turning your back on, and just – stop."

Stephanie's jaw was stuck in the 'open' position. Why did Lula think she'd come back to town? "What's bringing all of this on?"

Lula shook her head slowly. "You want details, talk to the man who loves you."

Stephanie snapped her jaw shut and worked her way up to an adequate response when the frozen faces of her friends alerted her to the male presence standing beside the table. She turned her head and looked up, then clenched her jaw against the wave of panic that hit her.

"Well, well. Look who's back in Trenton."

Stephanie leaned back in her seat and blew out a breath. "Hi."


	16. FW Ch 16

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes._

_A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is shorter, I felt that it would get too long if I kept going and I wanted to dedicate the next chapter to the conversation at hand. Thanks so much for all your support, readers and reviewers. I've really enjoyed this ride with you and am happy I was able to provide entertainment to you. :)_

_A huge thank you to M and Alf for your constant support and pushing me to be better!_

*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Connie stood up. "I think now would be a good idea for me to run Lula back to the bank. I'll be back in a few."

Stephanie flicked her glance from Joe's face to Connie's and said, "Okay. You don't mind?"

Connie smiled and turned her gaze to Joe's. Stephanie watched as their eyes locked, held for a beat, and then they both smiled a secret smile full of love and tenderness. "No, I don't mind," she answered without looking away from Joe.

_Guess not_. Stephanie knew for certain Joe and Connie were right for each other by the way they looked at each other. Stephanie had never seen that look in Joe's eyes. Not with her, not with anyone.

The ladies gathered their things and headed toward the door. Joe gave Connie a not-so-small see you later kiss and then took her vacated seat. "So," he said with hard eyes staring into hers.

"So," she repeated slowly.

"A band, huh?"

Stephanie nodded.

He sucked in a breath through his teeth and leaned forward, resting his arms on the table top. "You happy?"

"More than I ever realized was possible," she answered.

He gave a slight smile and shook his head. "We never did fit in the right places, did we?"

Stephanie gave a quick puff of air out her nose. "Not where it mattered. You two fit where it matters."

"Yeah, we do." He gave her such a happy smile she couldn't help but smile in return. "I just have one question."

"Shoot."

"Could your life be happier?"

Joe's question caught her off guard. "Wow, that was direct. I can think of a hundred questions you might have asked instead of that one."

He leaned back in his seat and gave her a lazy smile. "Why waste time on a hundred other questions?"

Stephanie stared at him for all of thirty seconds, neither blinked. Joe's face showed amusement, Stephanie's annoyance. "Okay," she finally said. "I could be happier." He grinned and opened his mouth, but she held up a finger. "I didn't say it was going to happen now, if ever. I just said I could be."

The smile left Joe's face. "I know Ranger screwed up, but I can see now that he loves you." Before she could say anything, he kept on. "The way I figure it, you have a choice. You can choose a life that is just 'okay' or the life that will fulfill your dreams." He leaned forward slightly and rested his elbows on the table. "Look, I know you can be stubborn, but–"

"What the hell is it with people calling me stubborn today?" She stiffened her back in anger. When he stared at her, she slumped. "All right, I can admit I'm stubborn, but I have my reasons."

Joe shook his head slowly, never looking away from her eyes.

Deciding Joe wasn't the person she wanted to speak with about this topic, she changed gears. "I hear congratulations are in order."

Joe brightened and then smiled slightly. "Yes. I always thought that–" he broke off and reached up to rub the back of his neck. "She and I do fit."

Stephanie beamed a smile at him. "I'm really happy for you." And she meant it.

Joe grinned. "Hey, uh, Connie and I were talking and we wondered, that is, if your band is free that weekend, would you play at our wedding reception?" While he spoke, he reached behind him and pulled out a thick linen envelope from his back pocket and handed it to her.

She recognized the expensive stationery as an invitation and sent him a wry grin. "It won't be weird?"

Joe gave a slight, one-shouldered shrug. "I'm over it all. I've found the right woman for me. I want what she wants and she wants you there for her day. You're my friend and I want you there for my day, too."

Stephanie smiled and gave a quick nod. "How about if I finish the song I'm working on and sing it for her as she walks down the aisle? It could be my wedding gift to both of you. I mean, I'll check our band's schedule for the weekend to play at the reception, but I want to give you both a unique gift, too."

He grinned. "It's all I ask." They stood to leave and gave each other an awkward hug. "See you later, Stephanie."

Joe's question stayed with Stephanie throughout the rest of her day. Could she be happier? She thought about it during her brief stop at the police department and through the strangely calm dinner with her parents and Grandma Mazur. By the time her mother served the pineapple upside down cake, Stephanie decided her visit to Rangeman couldn't wait until tomorrow.

Her fingers dialed Lester's number as she drove away from the little house in the Burg with the two women standing on the porch. "Hey, I just left my mom and dad's. Mind some company?" she asked when he picked up.

She could hear the smile in his voice when he answered. "Sounds great. I'll open the gates for you."

"Be there in fifteen." The irony of her words wasn't lost on her as she closed the phone and turned in the opposite direction of Mary Lou's house.

Several minutes later, the Rangeman building loomed up ahead of her. She shook off the nerves that began to settle in her stomach and tightened her grip on the wheel. The gates were open and waiting for her by the time she reached them.

She parked and got out of the car to find Tank and Lester stepping off the elevator. The sight of them brought a rush of emotion that had her running. She flung herself into Lester's arms. He gripped her tight against him and just held her for a minute. She pulled back and looked at Tank, then found herself embraced by his thick, muscular arms.

"Hi," she said when she was finally standing on her feet in front of them and wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.

Lester ruffled her hair. "Hey."

"You guys wanna hit Shorty's or something?" If she and Lester hadn't patched up their friendship over the phone, including Tank wouldn't be possible. As it was, she and Lester were back to normal and she knew they'd be spending a lot more time together.

Lester hitched his thumb toward the building. "Actually, I asked Ella if she'd make the hazelnut coffee you love. She's whipping up a quick batch of your favorite chocolate chip cookies for you." He grinned.

Stephanie looked at the building and then back at Tank and Lester with a look of hesitation.

"He's out with Julie tonight," Tank said and pressed the button to open the elevator doors. He fixed her with a questioning look as they waited, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

She pressed her lips together and looked directly into Tank's eyes. "I'm going to talk to him, but I just had dinner with my parents. I'm still trying to figure out why it was so easy and feel maybe tomorrow would be best."

Tank accepted her answer after a short internal debate. "Okay, tomorrow then."

When they all got to Lester's apartment, she smelled the warm hazelnut smell of the coffee and the sweet chocolate smell from the cookies and closed her eyes to inhale the familiar scents. "Ah, everyone should walk into a room with Ella's handiwork awaiting them."

With coffee cups in hand, they sat in Lester's living room discussing Stephanie's day. She told them about Joe, stopping in to say hi to Eddie and Carl at the police department, and the visit with her family. "My parents were different. I expected my mother to make me feel bad, but she just seemed," she thought for a minute, "happy to see me. Grandma Mazur was definitely happy to see me and talked my ear off. She kept patting my hand, very unlike her in some ways, and yet, just like her. You know?"

Lester laughed. "Did you show her pictures of your band?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Yes, and before you ask, no, she didn't ask me about any of their 'attributes'. Actually, she seemed more docile than normal. I get the sense that they were disappointed in me and I hate that."

The men didn't have a response to her statement and she leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "I told them I was sorry for my selfishness. Mom told me she understood why I left. Dad was quiet, as usual, but he did tell me he was glad to see me. Grandma Mazur just told me I missed a lot of gossip." She gave a small laugh. "I guess some things never change."

"So, all in all, it was a good visit?" Lester asked.

Stephanie nodded. "Yeah, they were accepting of me and my life now. Not what they would have wanted, but they don't really have a say in my choices anymore. Mom also didn't say one thing about Morelli and I was grateful for that."

A look passed Lester's face she couldn't interpret, but then it was gone. "I'm glad it went well," he said.

Tank smiled. "Sorry we missed your performance on Saturday. I babysat Mary Lou's kids so she could go."

Lester piped in. "I had a takedown. Couldn't get out of it."

Stephanie reached over and squeezed Lester's hand as she laughed. "You, Tank? Mary Lou's kids? I can't see you offering to watch someone's kids." She shook her head with a huge grin on her face.

Lester hooted. "He didn't. My boy here knocked Ranger on his ass the night you left town when he told Tank what he said to you. Ranger punished him by making him watch her kids."

Stephanie turned her shocked gaze back to Tank. "You punched him?"

Tank gave a curt nod. "He was a stupid son of a bitch that night. Let him know just what I thought of him."

Stephanie could only stare at Tank in open-mouthed horror.

Ignoring the moment, Lester said, "Ranger said you're amazing."

His words broke her out of her shock and she smiled at Lester. "I wish I'd thought to bring my guitar. I'd sing my song for you." Her cheeks warmed and she realized that even when Ranger wasn't around, his compliments brought her joy.

"You wrote a song?" Lester asked.

Stephanie nodded. "Yeah. It's a work in progress, but I have most of the lyrics down."

"Just a minute," Lester said. He stood up and left the room. Stephanie looked at Tank, who shrugged. A minute later Lester returned with a beautifully polished, tan Spanish guitar. It had a beautiful sunburst pattern hand painted around the sound hole. "Will this work?"

"Les, this is beautiful." She ran her hand over the sleek, smooth surface and tested the strings, adjusted the tuners on a few strings, and then strummed a chord. "It has a great sound. You play?"

His eyes turned sad and he looked down at the coffee mug he'd picked up. "No, uh, that was my dad's. He used to play it all the time, serenading my mother and singing bedtime songs to me. I'd be honored if you would play it for me." She looked in his eyes and knew that the guitar was his connection to the parents and the family life he lost.

She wouldn't have denied his request for the world. Keeping her gaze locked onto his, she began to play the opening chords to her song. When she opened her mouth to sing, she sensed others had entered the room through the front door Lester hadn't shut.

Her audience didn't make a sound as she sang her song, pouring her heart out into the words. Instead of making her sad, however, the song strengthened her resolve to speak with Ranger. She wanted to hear his side, to let him explain what happened. Her mind wandered over the lyrics and the memories that had inspired them and she realized it wasn't enough to sing about them and dream about them anymore. She wanted to find out if it was possible to actually _live _them again.

A low hum started in her lower back and worked its way up her spine as she sang through the final chorus and she knew Ranger had arrived. The energy in the room changed and she felt him standing behind her as she strummed the final chord and let the notes fade out.

Stephanie stood up and gently handed the guitar back to Lester, who had suspiciously glossy eyes. He stood and held the guitar out to the side as he hugged her. "Thank you. It meant more than you know to hear his guitar make music again."

Her hand came up to rest on his cheek and she leaned in to kiss the other. "Anytime I'm around. All you have to do is ask."

He pecked her cheek swiftly and left to put his guitar away. With a slow, deep breath, Stephanie turned around to see Ranger and Julie standing side by side behind the couch where she'd been seated. "Hey," she said to Ranger. She moved her eyes to Julie and smiled. "Hey Julie."

"Hi," Julie smiled. "Hal said you wrote that song. Did you?"

Stephanie nodded. "Yes, I did."

"Wow! How come you didn't sing it on Saturday?" Julie asked.

Slipping her hands into her pockets, Stephanie smiled. "They asked us for upbeat numbers." Her eyes slid over to Ranger and she was surprised by the mixture of emotions swimming in the depths of his eyes: sadness, pain, uncertainty, and his pride over her accomplishment. That familiar look was the reason she'd come back, despite the reason she'd given herself and others. She walked up to him and asked, "You have a few minutes?"

Ranger turned his head to look at Julie. He looked calm and cool, but Stephanie noticed the hand clenched at his side. "Do you mind staying with Lester for a while?"

Julie smiled, a happy expression on her face. "No problem, Dad. Ella's cookies are here."

He turned back to Stephanie with fire in his eyes and said, "All the time you need."


	17. FW Ch 17

_Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes._

_A/N: Well, I can't believe it's here, but this is the final chapter. So sad to see it end, but I'm excited to continue working on another piece I've been writing since October!_

_I want to thank all of my readers, and especially my reviewers, for your support. I was pleasantly surprised at the reception this story received. You've made this story a joy to write._

_To M, who has pushed me when I got fed up and wasn't afraid to smack sense into me, thanks for your partnership with this piece and for your friendship. Thanks for making me want to be better than I am._

_To Alf, you've inspired me to seek, you've helped change the way I think, and brought in ideas I hadn't considered. I'm grateful to you for your guidance and pushing me to go beyond just the words._

_Finally, I know it isn't Wednesday, but my mother-in-law is here from England and I'm afraid I may miss the boat on posting this chapter tomorrow, so I'm putting it up tonight. I think you all deserve to get it early since you've been so faithful to me. Much love and hugs all around!_

*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*

The ride up to seven seemed to take forever. Stephanie and Ranger stood side by side in the elevator facing the doors, close, but not touching. She could feel the heat of him radiating toward her, tingling on her hand, her arm, seeping into her.

Her thoughts flew at light speed, working overtime to form the words she wanted to say. Questions scrolled through her mind, but all her effort was concentrated on breathing evenly. Not only was she standing next to the man she loved, but they were headed toward the scene of the crime where he'd slashed her open, where part of her had bled to death.

The elevator stopped. The doors opened. Neither moved. The doors closed. Stephanie blinked a few times. Ranger took in slow, even breaths through his nose.

Stephanie realized he was waiting for her. It was her show and she didn't know if she had the guts to push the damn 'door open' button. Finally, she said, "Guess we should go in." She felt, rather than saw, his nod. She nodded and reached her hand up to press the button. His hand closed over hers and his heat torched a path up her arm and straight to her heart and the twisted center of her emotions licked up every ounce of that heat.

Her head turned toward his gravitational pull and their eyes locked. The intensity of his stare stole her breath. All pretense of fight left her and she met his gaze with her own passionate stare. Breaths held and hearts beat wildly. Then he pressed their hands forward and her finger connected with the button. The doors opened and he led her out into the hallway.

He never let go of her hand through the process of unlocking and opening his front door. His hand clung to hers like a lifeline and she felt his nervousness. She knew he was reluctant to break the connection and her heart softened toward him even more.

When they reached the living room, he released her hand slowly, fingers lingering. His hands rested at his sides, but his muscles were active, body tense and tight as a bowstring. "Want to sit?"

Shaking her head, she rested her hip against the breakfast bar and looked into his eyes. The emotion smoldering within swept through her soul and she knew she could never walk away from him again. It was time to fight for what they both needed, even if she had to fight her own instincts.

"Heard your song," Ranger said in a quiet voice. He reached out and brushed a wayward curl from her forehead then let his fingertips trace softly down her jaw line.

She nodded and swallowed against the lump in her throat, forcing herself to ignore the way her pulse jumped at his touch.

"It's beautiful, it's you."

"Thanks." Stephanie flicked her glance to the floor and then slowly raised them to his once more. "I forgive you," she said simply.

"Babe," he began, but she shook her head.

"Just tell me if you've changed your mind."

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it almost painfully. A long, slow breath left him and he turned to face her. "No."

Pain, hot and violent, tore through her heart. She'd thought his response would be different this time.

"Babe," he repeated. She held up her hands for him to back off, but he ignored her signal. His hands gently closed around her upper arms and he held her immobile in front of him. "Let me finish. I've wanted a relationship with you for a long time, I just never felt like I had a right to ask you for one."

"What?" she asked, biting the insides of her cheeks to keep her mouth from trembling. "I don't understand."

"When you came and told me you loved me, I wanted to take you in my arms and tell you how much I loved you, but I couldn't. I was leaving on a year-long mission and I couldn't ask you to put your life on hold not knowing if I'd make it back or not."

"That should have been my decision to make, not yours." She narrowed her eyes at him, anger overriding her sadness, and stepped back out of his embrace. "I think there's more to it and if you want me to stay here longer than the next five seconds, I expect the whole truth."

He opened his mouth and then closed it.

"Five," she said.

"Babe."

"Four."

"Stephanie."

This time, because her throat was aching from holding back her tears, she held up three fingers.

"Please."

Two fingers.

"Shit."

One finger.

Ranger growled in frustration and fought down the panic that she would leave him when he'd finally found her, finally gotten her to really talk to him.

She turned toward the front door.

"I was scared," he said forcefully, angry with himself for pushing her so far. Quieter this time, he said, "Afraid." He sank down to the couch.

She stopped and turned her head slightly, listening.

"I built my life around my military career. Set it up so the only person I had to worry about was me. Pulled away from my family. Made friends only with guys like me who understood my life choices." Adrenaline pumping now, he folded his arms over his chest to keep from reaching out to grab her.

"I know," she murmured. "You've mentioned this before."

"You weren't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to walk into a goddamned diner and meet my future." His nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath. "But I did. It scared me."

She remained silent, but her heart had begun to beat again, her shoulders relaxed. The tears she'd fought now fell freely down her cheeks.

"Falling in love with you changed everything for me." When her shoulders relaxed further, he moved toward her. "You're my strength." He was right behind her now and he could see her body shaking with her silent tears. "You're my soul. I found life when I found you."

The relief was almost painful as it swept through her body. Drawing in a ragged breath, she turned around and gave him a small smile. "You," she pressed her lips together and struggled to keep her face from contorting as emotion overtook her ability to speak. "You made me alive," her voice trembled with emotion as she spoke.

"Babe," his voice was barely above a whisper as his arms wrapped around her. He held her tight in his arms, one arm around her waist and one hand pressed to the back of her head. Trembling arms encircled his neck and wild curls cascaded over his hand as he pressed her close. "God, I'm so, so sorry for what I did to you. I was such a jackass," he said quietly.

She nodded against him and he closed his eyes in remorse for the hurt he caused the one and only women he'd ever truly loved. He soaked in her warmth and gave in to the pain he'd held back for so long. Pain he'd caused himself, pain she'd caused. Pain only she could take away.

At long last, she raised her head and looked at him. Their heartbeats sped up and breathing became labored as he lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers once, twice, three times, before pulling back.

"I missed you. So much," she said in a husky voice.

Ranger slid his hands into her hair and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. "Can we start over?"

"Start over?" she asked in a daze.

"Yeah. The night you left town." When she made a move to step back, his hands held her in place. "Or do you want me to let go of you like you said in your song?"

Stephanie stared at him and felt the tension in his body as he waited for her answer. His eyes filled with worry. "No. I tried, but you wouldn't leave my heart."

In an instant, she was molded against his body, vice-like bands of steel driving the breath from her lungs. He clung to her in silence with his long, muscular fingers digging into the flesh of her shoulder and waist.

"I need to know one thing," she said after a few moments.

She felt his slight nod and his hands began to move slowly up and down her back, spreading heat and assurance throughout her body.

"Why are you willing to open your heart to me now? What will happen the next time you're called away on a long mission?"

He pressed his forehead against hers and caressed her face. "There won't be a next time. That was my last mission. They offered me another contract and I turned it down."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You turned them down?"

Ranger smiled at her, his face so full of love it stole her breath away. "I'm yours, and I'll never deny you anything again," he murmured.

She smiled and traced the outline of his lips with a fingertip. "Anything at all?"

His lips quirked in a small smile. "Babe." That one word reserved for only him, which spoke so much and so little all at once, filled her with warmth and pleasure.

She gave him a wide smile and asked, "What if I don't want to be locked up when you feel my safety is threatened?"

He leaned down and kissed the corner of her brow. "We'll find a way to compromise."

"What if I want your undivided attention and your cell phone rings?"

He unclipped his phone from his belt and held it up? "This?" She nodded. He tossed it over his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Out of the equation."

She slowly breathed in through her nose and then laughed as emotion bubbled up within her. "What if I want to continue to tour with my band and I don't want to move back to Trenton?"

"I have a private jet."

His last answer stilled her. "You have a private jet," she said. "Really? I never knew that." Ranger smiled slightly and she asked, "Wait, you're really okay with the tour?"

He smiled and drew her tighter against his chest. "You've found something you're fantastic at and you love it. Why would I ask you to stop?"

She swallowed several times and felt a tear leak out the side of her eye. She loved him and she loved her career and felt relieved that he didn't expect her to choose between the two. He smiled tenderly and leaned down to capture her mouth in a kiss full of promise. His lips rubbed intimately against hers and his tongue sought hers out, touching and caressing, until she gave a small moan.

He broke the kiss and trailed small kisses along her jaw line, flicking his tongue out to taste her skin.

She smoothed her hands over his chest and smiled up at him. "Okay," she whispered. "Let's try this again."

"Babe?"

"I'm in love with you and I don't want to live without you in my life." Her hands bunched in his t-shirt and she gave a small tug on the last word.

A dazzling smile spread across his face for a moment before his expression turned serious, passionate. "Never again. You're the reason I understand what it means to love. You _are_ my love."

He kissed her again, slow and easy at first, and then hot and needy. For the first time in their entire relationship, Stephanie let herself feel all she wanted to feel in his arms. No fear, no others, no holding back. She opened herself up and showed him just how much she loved him.

They kissed and caressed hands, cheeks, and bodies against one another amid whispers of love and desire. Hands tugged at clothing, lips nipped, and tongues tasted.

Stephanie's heart hammered against her rib cage, her body on fire. The experience of being with Ranger after he confessed his love for her nearly made her pass out. She knew he made love with passion from their previous experience, but mixing his passion with his love amped the experience up to supernatural proportions in her mind.

By the time they reached his bed, both were panting and frantically pressing against each other. Ranger lifted her onto his bed and slipped off her bra and panties, then kicked off his cargos and pulled her into his arms. She explored his body, re-familiarizing herself with his physique.

His hands stoked up an inferno within her and soothed her flesh until she screamed for release. He complied with her request and pressed her deep into his mattress, locking eyes with her as he slowly eased inside, drawing out whimpers from her. He moved slowly, loving her, filling and stroking, until she was hoarse calling out his name and shouting her love for him.

Afterward, she lay with her head on his chest, her hair fanned out over its chiseled perfection. Her finger traced a lazy circle around his nipple and his hand slowly caressed a path up and down her back.

"That was worth the wait," he said, his voice a low buzz rumbling against her cheek.

She smiled against his hot, damp skin and he reached up and tugged on her curls softly. "Mmm, definitely."

They were silent for a long time, simply pressed together and enjoying one another. He sighed softely and squeezed her close. "Looks like Santos forgave you for running off." She nodded and his hand slid up to gently cup the back of her neck. "He was pissed when he found out what I'd done," he said quietly. She pressed a tender kiss over his heart. "Thought he'd never forgive me."

Stephanie nodded and trailed her hand down over his abdomen to circle around his belly button. "Well, he wasn't happy with me, either. I had to make some promises to get back on his good side. Including, but not limited to, calling him every other day, at least." She leaned down and pressed a kiss to the sculpted curve of his pectoral muscle.

Ranger gently lifted her off his chest and turned her over onto her back, then propped himself up on his elbow to stare into her eyes and lightly graze her cheeks with his knuckles. "Are there any promises I can make you tonight?"

She sent him a wicked smile. "I'm sure I could think of a few things."

_*\/*\/* Epilogue *\/*\/*_

_One Year Later_

Ranger burst through the door with his cell attached to his ear and a smile on his face. "It's a boy."

"That's great news!"

"We'll stop and see Lula and Tank at the hospital before we head back to New York City. We are going to be the Godparents, after all." He wrapped his free arm around Stephanie's waist and pulled her against his side.

Stephanie and the band had relocated to New York City because there were more opportunities to play and to be near Devin's studio. After six months of touring with Creed, they'd finally gained popularity and had three top ten hits on the charts. They were due to start their own tour in three months' time and were ready to move up to the next level with their tour. She and Ranger had ventured back to Trenton, so she could fulfill her promise to play at Joe and Connie's wedding. The band was to join them later in the evening to play at the reception.

Stephanie snuggled into Ranger's chest. "I can't wait to meet him. What's his name?"

He smiled down into her lovely face and said, "Stephen Carlos Marquette."

Stephanie blinked back a few tears at the mention of the name that honored both she and Ranger. "Wow, I love those two."

Ranger kissed her temple. "Yeah, me too. Tank is over the moon. He said Lula did great." He tipped her chin up with his index finger and looked deep into her eyes for several heartbeats. "You sure you don't want one?"

"No baby." Stephanie shook her head. "I think we'll just stick with what we know. How about you?"

"Anything you want, as long as I get to keep you."

Stephanie smiled up at him. "I love you."

"And I love you." He leaned down and kissed her. "Ready for Joe and Connie's wedding?"

Excitement skittered through Stephanie's gut. "Yes. Will you listen to the song one more time before we leave?"

Ranger sat on the coffee table in front of their couch. His eyes took in the ice blue satin gown she wore. The hem ended mid-calf and covered her delectable legs when she sat on her stool with them crossed, which had been his one request. "Always. I love your singing."

Stephanie grabbed her guitar and sat on the couch. "I'm nervous. It's really important."

He smiled. "I know, Babe."

She plucked the strings softly and then lifted her voice to sing a touching love ballad worthy of Connie's walk down the aisle. The lyrics were well suited to the special couple and their day, as well as the love she celebrated within her own heart.

As she sang, she held his eyes and told him over and over again, with every note and word of her song, how much she loved him. When she finished, he took her guitar from her hands and laid it aside on the couch and stood, tugging her to her feet.

"It's perfect," he said and kissed her once. "I love you." He kissed her again, pulling away before she could attempt to deepen the kiss. "We're five minutes late now."

"Oh no!" She turned to grab her guitar, but he beat her to it and already had it halfway into the sturdy black case lying across the arms of the chair beside the sofa. "I'm so bad with time! I'll be late to our wedding!"

He stopped and stood still for a beat. "_Our_ wedding? You want there to be a wedding to be late to?"

She reached out a hand and linked her fingers with his. Then, with a smile, she said, "Someday."

They left the apartment smiling at the final word she'd spoken. Someday was all they'd ever need as long as they were together.


End file.
